"After that, JESUS came to Caesarea Philippi. HE asked HIS disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They said, "For some of them, YOU are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.'
JESUS asked them, 'But you, who do you say I AM?' Peter answered, 'YOU are the Messiah, the Son of the living GOD.' JESUS replied, 'It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but MY FATHER in heaven.
And now I say to you: You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build MY Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.'" - Matthew 16:13-19
(One parable of the kingdom of GOD already foretold the Church [Matthew 13:31-33]. This present text openly refers to the Church.
- it tells us what its foundation is: faith in JESUS, the CHRIST and Son of GOD;
- it focuses on the primacy of Peter among all the apostles;
- it suggests that the Church will always need a visible head. This is the successor of Peter, the pope.
Faith in the Son of GOD, which Peter, among the apostles is the first to proclaim, really comes from GOD. This faith is not a human opinion, or a sentimental attachment. It does not come from flesh and blood, an expression that for the Jews meant what is purely human, what a human being does and understands by his own capacity. The words with which JESUS greets Peter, it is well for you Simon Barjona, are true for all the believers. For it is the FATHER who has chosen us and has brought us to CHRIST: see John 6:37; 6:44.
Next, the primacy of Peter is emphasized. His name was Simon, but JESUS gave him this surname of Rock, foreseeing that he would be for HIS Church a foundation rock [John 1:40]. This change of his name attests that a mission is given to him as happened to Abraham and Jacob [Genesis 17:5 and 32:19]. Other texts attest to the leadership and faith of Peter: Matthew 10:2; 14:28; 17:25; Luke 5:8-10; 22:32; John 6:68; 21:15-19.
For the Jews, to bind and to unbind meant to state what is forbidden and what is allowed. So Peter and his successors will have the last word about what is, or is not, the faith of the Church.
The recognition of this mission of Peter's successor, however, does not mean that his word drowns all other voices in a silent Church, or that his authority justifies a structure that might crush life.
This text does not contradict other statements of the Gospel that are equally important, where the basis of the Church is a "college" of apostles, where nothing is done without dialogue. Peter is the "door keeper" [Mark 13:34] but he is neither "Master" nor "Father" [Matthew 23:9].
His authority is only genuine in a Church where all have the right to express themselves, where the leaders are not only imposed, but also accepted.
The powers of death. The text says "the gates of Hades." "Gates" here signifies "Power"; as for Hades, it designates the netherworld, the world of the dead and demonic powers. Even if deathly strength tried to crush the Church, or sow there the seed of corruption it would not be prevented from accomplishing its mission of salvation. A part of Revelation [Revelation 12-17 depicts such a confrontation.
The fact that Peter is the foundation of the Church does not contradict other verses that say that its basis is the Twelve apostles [Ephesians 2:20 and Revelation 21:14]. They also receive the power to bind or loose in John 20:21, but in this case it refers clearly to the forgiveness of sins.)
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