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will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.
Matthew 16:19-20
Matthew 16 [16.] Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16 [17.] Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
Matthew 16 [22.] Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”
Meaning:
Peter had confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus called him blessed, because the Father had revealed this to him (Matthew 16:17), and promised, “on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). In these two verses Jesus gives Peter a place of responsibility in that assembly, and then tells the disciples to keep his identity quiet for the time being.
- “I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven”
In the ancient world, keys were a sign of authority. The steward of a royal household carried the keys and decided who could enter the king’s presence. Isaiah described such a steward, Eliakim, in words very close to Jesus’ promise: “I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open” (Isaiah 22:22). Jesus is the true King, and he gives Peter the role of opening the door of the Kingdom to others.
The book of Acts shows Peter doing exactly that. On the day of Pentecost he preached the first Christian sermon to the Jews in Jerusalem, and “There were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). Later, in the house of the Roman officer Cornelius, he opened the door to the Gentiles, and “the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:44-45). The keys are not a private power over heaven. They are the gospel itself, which opens the Kingdom to all who believe.
- “whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven”
“Binding” and “releasing” (loosing) were terms the Jewish teachers used for forbidding and permitting, and for declaring someone under discipline or free from it. Jesus’ wording is careful: what the apostles bind or release “will have been” bound or released in heaven. Their decisions are not new laws that heaven must follow; they line up with what God has already decided in heaven, as they follow his word.
Jesus later gave the same authority to the assembly as a whole, in the context of correcting a brother who sins (Matthew 18:18). After the resurrection he told the disciples, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained” (John 20:23). The church announces forgiveness to those who repent and believe, and warns those who refuse.
- “he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ”
This may seem strange right after such a great confession. But most people expected the Messiah to be a political king who would drive out the Romans. After feeding the five thousand, the crowd had tried “to come and take him by force, to make him king” (John 6:15). Jesus did not want that kind of excitement. The disciples themselves did not yet understand that the Christ must suffer, die and rise again, as Jesus begins to teach in the very next verse (Matthew 16:21). Mark records the same command (Mark 8:30). After the cross and resurrection, the time for silence would end and they would proclaim him to all nations.
The Significance of Matthew 16:19-20
- The gospel opens the door
Every believer who shares the good news of Jesus is, in a sense, using the keys first given to Peter. The message of the cross and resurrection is what opens the Kingdom to people today.
- Authority under God’s word
Church leaders have real responsibility to teach, to welcome and to correct. That authority is always under heaven’s will and God’s word, never above it. Leaders are servants who carry their Master’s keys.
- Timing matters
Jesus knew when to speak openly and when to wait. Believers also need wisdom about how and when to share the truth, so that it is understood rightly.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 22:22: “I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder.” The steward’s key.
Acts 2:41: “There were added that day about three thousand souls.” Peter opens the door at Pentecost.
Matthew 18:18: “whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven,” The same authority given to the assembly.
Mark 8:30: “He commanded them that they should tell no one about him.” Mark’s account of the command.
Conclusion: Jesus gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, the authority to open its door through the gospel and to bind and release in line with heaven’s will. Peter used those keys at Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius. Yet Jesus told the disciples not to announce him as the Christ yet, because they still had to learn that the Christ must suffer and rise again.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible