Matthew 23:9

Father (Aramaic abba) and masters (Matthew 23:10) are also titles of the scribes, the former being chiefly used as a prefix to the name, e.g. Abba Shaul. Some Christians take these prohibitions literally, and say that it is antichristian to use such titles of respect as 'Reverend,' 'Father in God,' 'Venerable,' and the like, which correspond to the titles of the scribes. But what Jesus condemned was not the titles themselves, so much as the presumptuous claims which the titles implied. The rabbis really did put themselves in the place of God, and almost on an equality with Him. Their traditions were more binding than the Law, and were regarded as in a sense binding upon God. One rabbi went the length of being buried in white garments to show that he was worthy to appear before his Maker. Another is said to have been summoned to heaven by God to settle a point of the law of ceremonial purification: see on Matthew 15:2.