Why did Jesus gave Peter the
keys of the kingdom of heaven?
This is because Jesus is a king in the line
of David and Davidic Kings appoint Royal Stewards to rule in their absence as
seen in the Old Testament (and may be confirmed in the traditions of other
ancient kingdoms). As a symbol of the full authority bestowed by Christ the
King to his steward, the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to the Peter.
Who in turn passed it on to his successors – the “popes” (which means father).
(OT - Isaiah 22:20-24) “On that day I will summon
my servant Eliakim…I will clothe him with your robe, gird him with your sash,
and confer on him your authority. He
shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of
David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one
will open. I will fix him as a
peg in a firm place, a seat of honour for his ancestral house; on him shall
hang all the glory of his ancestral house: descendants and offspring, all the
little dishes, from bowls to jugs.”
(NT
- Matthew 16:16-19) “Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are
you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but
my heavenly Father. And so I say to you,
you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to 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.”
How did the first Christians
recognize the authority of Peter?
Aside
from the authority that Jesus gave to Peter, it is Peter’s power (through the
Holy Spirit) that struck them the most. The many miracles and the ability to
give and take life is a clear sign from heaven that Peter is the one who has
full authority here on earth.
(Acts 5:1-5) “Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece
of property. He
retained for himself, with his wife’s knowledge, some of the purchase price…But Peter said, “Ananias,
why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and
retained part of the price of the land? …You
have lied not to human beings, but to God.” When
Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came
upon all who heard of it.”
(Acts 5:6-11) “Peter said to Sapphira, “Why
did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” At
once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last…And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard
of these things.”
(Acts
9:36-43) “Now during
those days Tabitha fell sick and died…Peter sent them all out and knelt down and
prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her
eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised
her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her
alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many
came to believe in the Lord.”
Where does the word “cathedral”
come from?
It
comes from the Latin word “cathedra”
which means “chair”. It symbolizes the authority of the Bishop over his diocese
and is represented by his seat that is housed in his cathedral. We can even
trace this tradition up to the time of Moses 3,500 years ago.
(OT - Exodus 18:13-16) “The
next day Moses sat in judgment for the people, while they stood around him from
morning until evening…The people come to me to
consult God. Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to me to have me settle
the matter between them and make known to them God’s statutes and instructions.”
(NT - Matthew 23:1-5) “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds
and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their
seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all
things whatsoever they tell you…”
In
the case of the Pope (the Bishop of Rome), his chair is housed at the Papal
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran – the cathedral church of the diocese of Rome.
It ranks above all other churches in the Catholic
Church, including St. Peter's Basilica.
(Acts 15:1-12) “After much debate…Peter got up
and said, “My brothers…God made his choice among you that through my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe…the whole assembly
fell silent…” [Council of Jerusalem]
How did the apostles transfer
their authority to their successors?
They transferred their authority through
the imposition of hands. For 2,000 years, from Peter and the Apostles up to
today’s Bishops and Priests, the Catholic Church has not ceased with this
tradition of Laying of Hands especially during ordination. This tradition came
from God himself and can be traced back as far at the time of Moses.
(OT
- Numbers 27:18-20) “And the Lord replied to
Moses: Take Joshua, son of Nun, a
man of spirit, and lay your hand upon him. Have him stand
before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission him in their
sight. Invest him with some of your own power, that the
whole Israelite community may obey him.”
(NT - 2 Timothy 1:6) “For
this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that
you have through the imposition of my hands…Guard this rich
trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.”
(1 Timothy 4:14) “Do
not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic
word with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate.”
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