Matthew 23:9 says:

> "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven."

Some argue this forbids using the title 'father' for biological parents. This ignores the immediate context. Jesus is issuing a blistering rebuke to the Jewish religious establishment for their pride and self-exaltation. He condemns their demand for honorific religious titles (rabbi, father, teacher), implying that they usurp the ultimate authority and reverence that belongs to God alone. It is a hyperbolic condemnation of religious elitism, not a mandate to abandon basic familial vocabulary.