唯有上帝高過父母的權威
上帝命令人孝順父母親，所以，父母親在人中享有最高的權威。唯有真神上帝的地位高過父母。當基督說：「愛父母過於愛我的，不配作我的門徒」時，他表明了自己是真神上帝的身分。
在此，基督用這卑微的言辭，讓信徒們知道了他自己無限的權威，但是沒有神之人雖然聽過這些話，卻仍然如同聾子一般（把「基督高過父母」當成駭人聽聞之事）。
這經文的重點是在「過於」，因為基督並沒有毀滅父母的權威，而是肯定他們，就是說：人應當親愛敬重父母。但是，不要「過於」愛我。在聖道面前，父母親應當靠邊站。但是，如果不是在上帝面前，人應當無條件地順服父母。
（對於不信的人來說，「基督高過父母」）就是駭人的忤逆不孝。首先，因為兒女按照自己的意思，就是鄙視仇視父母的人。如今，在基督的教導之下，他們豈不更加變本加厲仇視父母，說：「我必須要愛基督，多過父母。」這樣，在教皇治下，這教導造就了一切修道院。人們違背父母的意願，跑到修道院的迴廊底下，徬彿就是在跟隨基督了。
但是，這教導最糟糕的地方是：藉著這些話語，基督使自己與上帝同等了。因為他說：「因為他的緣故，人會恨自己的父母親。」但是，唯有上帝才擁有超越父母親的地位。因為唯有命令人孝敬父母的那一位，才能解除這命令，所以，基督在此顯明自己就是上帝。
這是令不信的猶太人恐懼的言辭。所以，先知不會如此說話。他們不敢讓自己高過父母或統治者的權威。當他們誇口自己是上帝的僕人時，也不過說：上帝有高過一切的地位。使徒們也說類似的話，特別是聖保羅，他說：「我們原不是傳自己，乃是傳基督耶穌為主」（林後4:5）。但是，基督說這些是要說明這位被釘十架的人是真神上帝。這在不信的猶太人中，在不信的萬民中是駭人聽聞的。這事至今仍是，且永遠都是駭人聽聞的。
但是，因為基督確實是真神上帝的緣故，我們必須把其他所有的事物當作低下的次等，把基督高舉過萬事，成為真神上帝。——馬丁路德（《馬太福音》的某些註釋）(AE 67:115–116from Concordia Publishing House， Saint Louis, MO)
The stress is on the word “more,” because He does not hereby destroy but affirms the authority of parents, that is, that parents are to be loved and revered—“but not more than I.” If it becomes a matter of the Word, parents are to be set aside. But beyond such a case, parents are to be obeyed without qualification.
This is, however, a scandalous teaching, first, because children are of their own accord despisers and haters of their parents. How much more will they now, under the pretext of this teaching, hate their parents, saying, “I am compelled to love Christ more than my parents.” Thus under the papacy this scandal gave rise to all the monasteries into whose cloisters people used to run, as if to Christ, against the will of their parents.
But by far the most serious part [of the scandal] is this: that Christ with these words makes Himself equal to God. For He says that parents are to be hated on account of Him. But the glory of holding preeminence over parents belongs to God alone. For only the One who commanded obedience to parents can relax this obedience. Therefore, Christ is here showing Himself to be God, something that was horrible for the Jews to hear. For the prophets did not speak like this, nor did they dare to accord themselves preeminence over parents or magistrates. Rather, they preached that God was to have preeminence over everything, while they boasted of themselves as His ministers; the apostles did likewise, especially Paul, who says that He preaches Jesus Christ and not himself [2 Cor. 4:5]. All of these words show that this crucified man is the true God. This is the scandal of scandals for the Jews and for all nations. This is still the case, and so it must remain forever, because on account of Him as on account of the true God we must treat everything else as inferior, and He Himself is to be exalted over all things as the true God. Thus, under lowly words, His infinite majesty makes itself known to believers. The godless pass these things by with a deaf ear.(AE 67:115–116 from Concordia Publishing House， Saint Louis, MO)
