The Call No Man Rabbi Fiasco

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The Call No Man Rabbi Fiasco

By Jason Jordan

With an all too painful regularity I have encountered many Nazarene Israelites, often those who are in self-imposed isolation from other covenant members, come up with some of the most off the wall theologies that make even a Sunday worshipping Christian look good. Beneath this I have found the root of such bad doctrines being taught by maverick leaders who handle the faith of YHWH like Han Solo handles his Millennium Falcon. “...I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself.” – (Star Wars 1977)

One such issue concerns the claim that Messiah Yahshua imposed a ban on the use of the titles, “rabbi,” “father” and “teacher” in Matthew 23. The teaching of this doctrine is almost exclusively driven by the prohibition of the title rabbi with at best the rejection of the titles teacher and father dragging along behind it with barely a mention.

Sighting the title rabbi as forbidden espoused from Messiah’s discourse is a blatant manifestation of anti-Semitism that masquerades itself as doctrine. This is because the same person who corrects one using the title rabbi fails to correct others or even himself with the same vigilance in the use of the titles father or teacher. The prevalence of the titles father and teacher far exceed the prevalence of the title rabbi and yet the objection to the title rabbi is the only one you will ever consistently hear. Imagine the “call no man rabbi” police trying to introduce their father to someone without using such a title or equivalent term. Using an equivalent title is no solution because it plunges Messiah’s teaching into a pet dislike of particular words.

Here is the Scripture that apparently forbids the use of the titles rabbi, father and teacher as it appears in the 1995 Edition of the New American Standard Bible (NASB); Matthew 23:8-11 "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader [1], that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.”(Depending on the version the term “leader,” “master,” “instructor” or “teacher” can be found in verse 23:10.)

Without exerting any degree of study and isolating the above verse sequence from the rest of the text it is self explanatory. No man is to address another by the three titles, rabbi (one who has much understanding), abba (meaning father) or teacher. The absurdity of this conclusion from the text is mind-blowing in light of the amount of other Scripture that has to be ignored for it to work. In addition one should consider reading the teaching from a translation that recognises and restores the Hebraic roots of the Scriptures. Matthew 23:8-11; “But as for you do not desire to be called Rabbi: For one is your Rabbi, even the Moshiach; and all you are Yisraelite brothers. And call no man abba (father) upon the earth: for one is your Abba, who is in the shamayim (heavens). Neither be called teachers: for one is your Teacher, even the Moshiach. But he that is greatest among you shall be your eved (servant).” [2] (RSTNE - Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition)

Yahshua taught according to Torah, never departing from it by so much as one yud or one nekudah (smallest letter and smallest marking in the Hebrew alephbet). If he forbad calling any man father he negated the very Torah that he came to proclaim by disallowing men to address Abraham as the forefather of Israel. It would have, from that point onward, caused all those who believed him to skim over sections of the Torah that refers to fathers and teachers. It would also have called into question future writings that became part of Scripture. Take for example James 3:1; “My Yisraelite brothers, not many should be rabbis, knowing that we shall receive a stronger mishpat (judgment).” And 1 Timothy 5:17; “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

Look carefully at the beginning of verse 8 to see what Messiah is really saying, “But as for you do not desire to be called Rabbi…” Judaism has had an ancient tradition that when a leader is appointed to the Sanhedrin, he decline the post three times. In fact it is unheard of within Judaism that a Jew work toward any spiritual leadership role with an ambitious desire to make a name for himself. In the light of the warning in James 3:1 it would not be inappropriate to say that Orthodox Jews follow the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) better than most Christians. Messiah Yahshua is stating that no-one should seek titles (in particular rabbi) to gratify their own selfish desire. Such a man receives openly the praise of men and in so doing becomes disqualified from a reward in the World to Come. Matthew 6:2; “Therefore when you perform your mitzvoth (love deed), do not sound a shofar before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have tifereth (praise) from men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward. So when you perform mitzvoth, let not your left hand know what your right hand does.”

The Messiah was teaching that all titles, which denote mastery of a profession should not be used to make one a master over another or allow one to view another as being more important. Torah teaches that the greatest person is the one who serves and attends to the needs of others the most vigilantly. For example Moshe, the meekest of all man, was called a “servant of Elohim” though he confronted Pharaoh, served as a chief intermediary between YHWH and Israel and had superiority over the priesthood. This is why Matthew 23 continues after verse 11 with, “And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

In context Messiah’s whole discourse also serves as a warning to a believer not allow anyone to make themself as an exclusive spiritual source of supply over the One who is the true Master and source of supply - YHWH.

Ceasing to acknowledge and use titles unleashes confusion into the body and nullifies its effectiveness to hear and act in an ordered chain of command. Prophets would no longer be prophets, priests would no longer be priests, judges would no longer be judges and kings would no longer be kings. YHWH raises men and women up for particular roles and commands that they be acknowledged accordingly. This is to maintain order within the body and allow people to know who’s who. He has always used a defined order of authority to rule His Kingdom and his subjects. Deuteronomy 16:18; “Shophtim (judges) and officers shall you appoint in all your gates, which YHWH your Elohim gives you, throughout your tribes: and they shall judge the people with just mishpat (jugdement).”

Consider Ephesians 4:11; “And He gave some, shlichim (Sent ones/Apostles); and some, neviim (prophets); and some, proclaimers; and some, roehim (shepherds) and morim (teachers); For the perfecting of the Yisraelite kidushim (saints), for the mitzvoth (love deeds) of service, for the rebuilding of the body of Moshiach.”

All those who are teaching “the call no man rabbi doctrine” consider this: If each individual will be called to account for every word they have uttered, then certainly every written word about the Heavenly Father will be judged with greater scrutiny. Matthew 12:36-37; “But I say to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it on the Yom HaDin (Day of Judgement). For by your words you shall be declared tzadik (righteous), and by your words you shall be condemned.” Furthermore if the accounting system in the heavens retains detailed documentation on each individual strand of hair that has ever grown on the head of every human being that has ever existed, how much more would potential miscounsel, whether transmitted verbally or in writing be remembered on the day of judgement? Luke 12:7; "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered….” It is for this reason that the Scriptures place great emphasis on believers at no matter what level of understanding to remain teachable and to love correction. Proverbs 12:1; “Whoever loves discipline loves da’at (knowledge): but he that hates correction is stupid.”

I appeal to all rabbis and teachers within the Nazarene Israelite community to unify and prepare the flock and step up to the task that you have been appointed. Natsarim (Offshoot Branch Watchmen) congregations are not to be fashioned with a pretext to compete with other congregations or used as opportunities to build personal empires. Such conduct has already occurred and scattered the flock and caused many to refrain from meeting together. We, as a people, are to meet YHWH in unity according to His prescribed method, not according to the traditions of men. This is done through preparing teachers, judges and rulers who shepherd different segments of the multitude. Exodus 18:21-22; “Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear Elohim, men of emet (truth), hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for yourself, and they shall bear the burden with you.”

My Rebbe has often said, “If there is a King there is a kingdom and if there is a kingdom there is a rule and if there is a rule there is a ruler and He’s not kidding.”

Shalom

[1]Depending on the version the term “leader,” “master,” “instructor” or “teacher” can be found in verse 23:10.

[2] This is from the Hebrew Shem Tov manuscript of Matthew. The word tirzu, which means desire, puts a whole different inflection on the text. Even early church father’s attest to the book of Matthew’s original Hebrew origin. “They have the Good news according to Matthew in its entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this, in the Hebrew alphabet, as it was originally written.” (Epiphanius; Panarion 29)

By Jason Jordan

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.Blessed is YHWH Elohim.
.Yo'el Rei