This verse is often misinterpreted literally as forbidding the use of 'father' for anyone on earth, such as priests or even biological dads, fueling debates against Catholic clergy titles; however, Scripture routinely employs 'father' for earthly figures, and Jesus uses hyperbolic rhetoric in this denunciation of prideful religious hypocrisy, not a blanket linguistic ban but a call to prioritize God's fatherhood.
Matthew 23:9
King James Version (1769)
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Jesus critiques the Pharisees' obsession with honorific titles like 'father,' urging his followers to recognize God alone as their ultimate spiritual Father in heaven, emphasizing humility, avoidance of self-exaltation, and the supremacy of divine authority over human leaders in matters of faith.