I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mt 16:13-20
v. 13. When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi* he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Philip, the son of Herod the Great (2:1) and the half-brother of Archelaus (2:22) and Antipas (14:1), ruled over the district north and east of Galilee from the death of his father (2:19) in 4 BC until his own death in AD 34.
He is mentioned in this gospel at 14:3. He rebuilt Paneas and called it Caesarea in honor of the emperor; and Philippi to distinguish it from the sea-port also called Caesarea.
While in Mark the questions was: “Who do men say that I am?”, in Matthew it is “Who do men say that the Son of man is?”
Matthew has used “the Son of man” not as the title of a peson other than Jesus, but as Jesus’ description of himself (8:20); in this gospel, it has almost ceased to be a title, and become a name in the same way that Christ became another name for Jesus and ceased to be used as a title of his office.
v. 14. They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Some say John the Baptist: Herod Antipas had said this (14:2).
Others Elijah: If John the Baptist was believed to be Elijah returnd from heaven (11:14 and 17:10ff), and if Jesus was believed to be John resurrected, then he would in fact be Elijah.
Jeremiah has been added by Matthew and thee is some evidence that some Jews expected Jeremiah (and other prophets) to return at the end of the world.
v. 15. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
In Greek the word “you” is emphatic (hymeis de), and contrasts the opinions of men (vv. 13f) with the faith of the disciples which is based on divine revelation (v. 17).
v. 16. Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
The Christ is a title, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah”, meaning “anointed” and thus “king”. Matthew has aleady used it in the genealogy (1:1 and 16f), and in 1:18 and 11:2. It is equivalent to “King of the Jews” in the mouth of Herod (2:4).
Its use by Peter marks a new step in the revelation of Jesus, but iti not to be made known until after his resurrection (v. 20).
Matthew has added “the Son of the living God”, a title which he had put into the mouth of the disciples at 14:33. See also 2:15; 3:17; 4:3. 6; 8:29; 27:40. 43. 54.
v. 17. Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Peter’s answer shows that he a recipient of divine revelation. Cf. 11:25f where Jesus says that the Father reveals the coming of the Kingdom “to babes”. Peter is, therefore, the object of the Father’s gracious will, and is therefore “blessed” (5:3ff; 11:6; 13:16; 24:46).
Simon is a Greek name; the disciple’s Jewish name was Simeon, but Matthew does not use this form (contrast Acts 15:14).
Bar-Jona means son of Jonah; Simon’s father is mentioned by name again in the NT only in the fourth Gospel (Jn 1:42; 21:15ff).
Flesh and blood means man over against God, man in his weakness, and without the help and inspiration of the Spirit; e.g. Paul says that after his conversion “he did not confer with flesh and blood”, i.e. with “mere men” (Gal 1:16).
v. 18. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
“You are Peter (Petros)”: There is no evidence that anyone had the name Peter before Christian times, either in its Greek form or in Aramaic (Cephas). In fact it is not a name at all, but a nickname, and it should really be translated “Rock”.
There are a number of examples in the OT of people receiving a new name which will describe their future life; e. g. “no longer shall your name be Abram (that is, exalted father), but your name shall be Abraham (here taken to mean father of a multitude); for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations (Gn 17:5).
“And on this rock I will build my church: The pun on the words Peter and rock goes back into Aramaic, Kepha and Kephas. For the idea of building upon rock, see 7:24f. Simon, to whom God has revealed who Jesus is, will be the foundation of the church which Jesus is to build.
The future tense, “I will build”, looks forward to the time after the crucifixion, when the disciples will be sent out to baptize and to teach (28:19f). For the idea of the new Israel as made from a rock, compare Is 51:1f and the rabbinic comment on this: “When God looked upon Abraham who was to arise, he said, ‘Behold, I have found a rock on which I can build and found the world’.
“My church” (mou ten ekklesian): The Greek word used here had been used in the Greek translation of the OT for “the people”, “the assembly”, “the congregation”.
The community of the disciples of Jesus is, therefore, to be the true Israel, the “children of Abraham” (3:9).
Aramaic scholars do not agree what Aramaic word lied behind the Greek translation in Matthew, but one of the suggestions is the word “kenishta’” which could be used both fo the Church as a whole (ekklesia) and for the local congregation (synagoge, synagogue).
“And the power of death shall not prevail against it”: The purpose of the building upon a rock in the parable at the end of Chapter 7 was to ensure the permanence of the house (7:24f); in much the same way here, the Church which is to be built upon the rock will withstand “the powers of death”, a phrase which is literally “the gates of Hades” and means that Hades, the place of the dead, cannot close its gates to imprison the members of Jesus’ congregation, the new Israel. In Chapter 10 Jesus promised that they will share in his sufferings (10:38), now he promises that they will share in his resurrection.
v. 19. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven”: The kingdom is here pictured as a place to be entered, as in 7:21. See also 7:13f where the narrow gate leads to life, that is, the kingdom. Peter is, therefore, given authority to admit, or refuse admittance, to the kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven” is not used here as an equivalent for the Church, but the Church is the community of those who wait and pray for the coming of the kingdom (6:10).
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”: There are two equally possible meanings of binding and loosing: (1) Laying down rules and granting exemption from rules; and (2) condemning and acquitting, i.e. the power to forgive sins which Jesus claimed in 9:6, and now grants to Peter also. Both interpretations mean much the same in the end: Peter has authority in the Church to make pronouncements (whether legislative or disciplinary) which will be ratified at the last judgment. Much the same authority had been given to all the Twelve in 10:13-15. See also 18:18; Jn 20:23.
“In heaven”: here is a periphrasis for “in the sight of God”; and the future tenses (shall be bound and shall be loosed) refer t to the last judgment.
v. 20. Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
The command to keep silence is frequent in Mark. Matthew retains a few of them but omits the majority (9:30; 12:16; 16:20; 17:9).
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