Part 1 of 2
Once again, the capacity to forgive sins in the name of the Lord that Saint Peter receives as well as the others, is not refered to the keys.
Lets read the verses:
From Matthew gospel we read:
{16:19} And I will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever
you shall bind on earth shall be bound, even in heaven. And
whatever you shall release on earth shall be released, even in
heaven.”
{18:18} Amen I say to you,
whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also
in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth,
shall be released also in heaven.
To bind and to release are then in the Gospel of Saint John as to forgive sins:
John 20,23
{20:23} Those whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and those
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
Thus:
to bind = to retain
to release = to forgive
However I wouldn’t say that the capacity of binding and releasing is limited just to the capacity to forgive sins, but also reaches the ordering of the matters of the life of the church, but by now I am only refering that capacity to the absolution of the Sacrament of confesion.
However, the matter of the keys is more related to another verse of the Gospel of John:
John 21, 15 - 19
{21:15} Then, when they had
dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord,
you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my
lambs.” {21:16} He said to him again: “Simon, son of John,
do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that
I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” {21:17} He
said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me?” Peter was very grieved that he had asked him a third
time, “Do you love me?” And so he said to him: “Lord, you
know all things. You know that I love you.” He said to him,
“Feed my sheep. {21:18} Amen, amen, I say to you, when
you were younger, you girded yourself and walked wherever
you wanted. But when you are older, you will extend your
hands, and another shall gird you and lead you where you do
not want to go.” {21:19} Now he said this to signify by what
kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said
this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
In this moment, the Lord before going back to the Father is leaving his sheep and the lambs to Peter, the one who loves Him MORE than the others. There the Lord is giving the Keys to Saint Peter.
We have to differentiate the use of the auxiliary words “will” and “shall”. The word “will” is used for something that is going to happen not yet but in a future moment, and the word “shall” is used for something that is going to happen from that very moment and henceforth. So when the Lord Says to Saint Peter:
And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…
Those keys were going to be given in a future moment, not yet, that future moment came after the resurrection of the Lord and just before his ascension.
The key word of this passage is:
Acts 15, 7
And after a great contention had taken place, Peter rose up
and said to them: “Noble brothers, you know that, in recent
days, God has chosen from among us, by my mouth,
Gentiles to hear the word of the Gospel and to believe.
Peter speaks and the contention is over. It is not that everybody was silent, but that the contention ended with his words.
After Paul and Barnabas spoke of how the Holy Spirit acts among gentiles, James just introduces some clauses which were not part of the main issue of the Synod:
Acts 15, 19 – 20
Because of this, I judge that those who were converted to God from
among the Gentiles are not to be disturbed, {15:20} but
instead that we write to them, that they should keep
themselves from the defilement of idols, and from fornication,
and from whatever has been suffocated, and from blood.
The main issue of the synod was circumcision, no blood, no idols, no fornication. but circumcision:
Acts 15, 1
{15:1} And certain ones, descending from Judea,
were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised
according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.
The issue of the synod ended when Peter spoke.
Yes, I agree, All the Apostles in communion. And no one apostle defeated the authority of Saint Peter. Even Saint Paul presented himself as the one that had the responsibility among gentiles as the same as Peter had it among the jews. Paul recognizes that Peter was the first directing the Church of the apostles before he arrived. And he validates his own ministry as blessed by James, Peter and John.
So Saint Paul sees Peter as the principal among apostles and himself as blessed by Peter in his own ministry.
Yes, Saint Peter was dobleplaying, he was trying to make Jewish Christians to feel that they haven’t broke the teachings of the law by joining the Lord’s church, and he was welcoming the gentiles to the church making them to feel that they were accepted as they were in the church of the Lord. Somehow Peter was trying to keep the flock as a single flock of black sheep and white sheep. Paul was calling to Peter to end that distinction.
