And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
Parallel translations
- WEB Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.
- KJV Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
- BSB Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
- NKJV And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
- NLT And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Disciples are not to be called 'masters' or leaders in an exalting sense, for Christ alone is their Master. It reaffirms Christ's unrivaled lordship over his people.
Overview
Repeating his theme, Jesus insists that supreme guidance and authority belong to Christ alone. No human leader may take a place that displaces him. This safeguards the church from elevating men to positions that rightly belong only to the Lord, who leads his people as the one true Master.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 23:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.