In Matthew 16:18–19, Jesus tells Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Catholics have traditionally pointed to this passage as evidence that Peter was given authority over the other apostles and the Church — an authority passed on to his successors, the popes.
However, in Matthew 18:18, Jesus tells all of the apostles, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Does this prove that Peter actually has no special authority?
Not quite. But before explaining why, let’s look at the meaning behind the keys and the terms “binding” and “loosing.”
The Old Testament backdrop to Matthew 16 and 18