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Matthew 16:19-21
New Catholic Bible
Matthew 16:19-21
New Catholic Bible
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”[a] 20 Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell[b] anyone that he was the Christ.
21 Jesus Predicts His Passion. From then onward Jesus made it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and endure great suffering at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and be raised on the third day.[c]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 16:19 Receiving the power of the keys, symbol of authority, Peter becomes Christ’s representative on earth. He is given the power to bind and loose, i.e., to condemn or absolve, to prohibit or allow. Peter is the doorkeeper (Mk 13:34) but not the Teacher or the Father (Mt 23:9-10).
- Matthew 16:20 Not to tell: since the Jews were looking for a national and political Messiah, Jesus urged his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
- Matthew 16:21 The apostles now knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but their idea of it was inexact. They thought of a political Messiah, the glorious dominator of peoples. Jesus offers a triple prediction that spells out the last stages of his ministry. He thus prepares them for the scandal of the cross (see Mt 17:22f; 20:17f) and enlightens them concerning the true Messianism, which is spiritual, humble, and suffering.
