Replies

Yes, sometimes Jesus speaks literally, and sometimes figuratively; and sometimes using an expression called synechdoche, which means he refers to a part (for instance, "Flesh") when he means a whole (His entire Being).

So figuring out which way He means a particular word or phrase (literal meaning, metaphor, or synechdoche) requires discernment.

It is a good principle to let Scripture interpret Scripture. Accordingly, we rely heavily on the accompanying and subsequent teaching and example of the Apostles in the rest of the NT.

In the issue at hand (calling someone father) we find that the Apostles, multiple times, call themselves and other men "fathers," "teachers," and "masters" or "leaders." You can see this, yourself, by simply using the BibleGateway concordance, or any concordance, and looking up the NT references.

Context is important. And in this case, the context is the frequent use of calling men "fathers", not only as biological begetters of children, but as spiritual leaders, as paternal figures/patriarchs of the faith community, and even as representing their level of seniority and authority in the congregation.

It forces the conclusion that either the Holy-Spirit-inspired authors of the NT deliberately disobeyed and contradicted the Lord in this matter (which God forbid) ---- OR that Jesus was not speaking literally about never calling any man on earth a "father" a "teacher," or a "master."