Smh.....did you not read the rest of the verse?
You meaning binding and loosing? Oh I'm fully aware of what the Keys are, again it has nothing to do with "priesthood".
In John 20 Jesus breathes on His apostles and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit, whoever's sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whoever's sins you retain are retained." (John 20:22-23)
This is the basis of Confession and Absolution. It has nothing to do with "priesthood". Christ gave His Church the authority to pronounce forgiveness of sins, the Apostles ordained bishops and presbyters--pastors--to continue and to safeguard their apostolic work. And the Church has always recognized that the Office of the Keys is exercised through the pastoral office.
This has nothing to do with "priesthood" and everything to do with the pastoral exercise of pronouncing forgiveness of sins in Christ's name and stead for the benefit of all the Faithful. That as ministers of Word and Sacrament pastors are charged with this sacred duty and ministry.
The only ἱεράτευμα (hierateuma) or "priesthood" in Christianity is the universal priesthood of all believers. The word "priest" in reference to Christian clergy comes from the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), presbyter. From Greek πρεσβύτερος, to Latin presbyter, shortened in early English to prester, and then to "priest". The word "priest" then came to be used to refer to religious officiators from other religions, for example the ancient Jewish kohanim are called "priests" in English, the hiereis and hiereia of ancient Greek Paganism are called "priests" and "priestesses" respectively in English. Etc.
However, in Christianity, clergy aren't "priests" the way the ancient Jewish kohanim were, or the way the ancient Greco-Roman priests and priestesses were.
Christian clergy are ministers of Word and Sacrament, pastors, not "priests" not
hiereis.
Bind is a function of keys, but what should I expect from people who can't even number the 10 commandments correctly? How many people are those exactly? So The Big Question remains.
You do realize, of course, that there is no de facto way to number the 10 Commandments, right? As the text doesn't actually number them. The text says that God spoke these "ten words", but the text doesn't number them--that numbering of the 10 comes long after and has been done so differently depending on who you ask. Pretending that there is a right and wrong way to number the 10 Commandments demonstrates that you yourself don't have a clue what you're talking about.
-CryptoLutheran