QT 3/16/2022 Matt 23:8-12, Honorifics are a temptation to pride

Matthew 23:8–12 (ESV) — 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

 

NOTE: I think this has more to do with honorifics than the literal use of the terms. All three terms were Jewish honorifics. The New Testament does use teacher, and children still refer to their dads as Father. That is not the point of the passage nor does the literal sense fit with the context of the passage. The key idea is that honorifics over time corrupt the individual to think that he or she is better than others. It is better to forgo the use of honorifics than to deal with the resultant pride. I have a few honorifics: father, Colonel, Mr, and teacher. Only my children call me father, and almost no one except staff in the military clinic call me Colonel. Those who don't know me might say Mr and no one calls out to me teacher. I suppose some mistakenly call me Dr -- the PhD type -- to which I usually correct their error, but some continue it even after I have corrected that. I suppose I am also called sir because I am a director, but I also use the title as well for others. But the majority of people just call me Tom and that is the real point of the passage, to not be someone you are not or to not be better in title than your brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I proud of my honorific? Do I want to be called by my honorific? Am I upset when my honorific is not used? If so, I may have a pride problem, and am certainly heading that way.

 

PRAYER: Father, free me of the need for honorifics. I am just me and no one special. I may do some things well, but everyone does some things well. My goal is to teach others to do things better, both by training in leadership, and by training in Christian virtue. Beyond that I am only a servant (Matt 23:11).