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If you were to read the NEXT verses, you would see that He also appears to be telling the people that you can't call anyone "father" or "leader":
Matthew 23: 9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Like the rest of the Bible, Matthew 23 needs to be read in context. Y'Shua was trying to get the people to understand that the Pharisees (not unlike many church leaders and even church-goers today) were basically posturing and making themselves look important by the way they dressed and behaved. They loved their places of honor and their own status. In other words, the teachers of God and the Tanach ("Old Testament") put GOD in second place because, since they were able to read and write and people respected them, they became puffed up with pride.
Y'Shua's intent (read in context) was not to forbid people from having a title, but to illustrate that not everyone calling himself "Rabbi" or "Leader" was actually a true teacher of God; that it was imperative to recognize their true intent.
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