Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowd and to His disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on Moses' seat. Then all things, whatever they tell you to keep, keep and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.”
Matthews 23 records a rather strongly worded sermon Christ gave to the scribes and Pharisees. But before He starts with the Pharisees, he has some words for the people in the crowd and to His disciples. The first thing Jesus does is remind the people of the position of the church leaders. He says to the people, “The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on Moses' seat.” What that means is the scribes and Pharisees were educated in the law of Moses and it was their job to explain it to the people.
The next thing Jesus says to the people is, “Then all things, whatever they tell you to keep, keep and do.” The leaders of a church have a big responsibility. They are called by God to open His word and explain it to the people. The people are to listen and obey. Obviously they are to obey as long as what they are told is according to God's word. For the most part, church leaders are sincere people who are trying to do their best for God. But all through the history of this world there have been incidents where someone, who was appointed by God, fell away from God directions. Such was the case of the scribes and Pharisees. They had become full of pride and made a big show of all they did to make themselves look holy. Jesus could see through their actions. He doesn't want people pretending to love Him and follow Him. He wants genuine love and obedience. So Jesus says to the people, “But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.” Then He goes on to describe their actions.
As we look further in what Jesus said to the people and the disciples we find Jesus telling them not to let anyone call them Rabbi, Teacher, or Father. He also instructs that they also never call anyone by those names. Jesus said there is only one Teacher or Father and that is our Father in Heaven. At the time Jesus gave this instruction, those words were used to describe someone who had a supreme authority over other people. This is not talking about parents of children. It's quite alright for a child to call his dad, “father”. But it is not alright for adults to give control of their conscience to another person. In Christian religions everyone is equal. We're all helping each other get through this life and into eternal life when Jesus comes back.
Ministers have an important duty to explain God's word accurately. However, that doesn't put them higher than anyone else. All positions of ministry, at all levels, and all degrees of education, are a position of service and of being a servant of God. No one should allow themselves to be elevated above anyone else. Likewise, no one should put another person on a pedestal and expect them to tell them how to think or believe. Ministers can only try to explain the Bible to the best of their ability with God's help. But they are human an no human ever goes through life without making an occasional mistake. Ministers can guide a person along in the search for truth, but the final decision is up to each person. It is the responsibility of each person to listen to the ministers, and then, with much prayer, and study of the Bible come to the final conclusion for themselves.