"I Will Build My Church"

The Authority of the Disciples to Bind and to Loose

Table of Contents

The Disciples' Authority to Bind and to Loose

Near the top of the list of most misunderstood, misinterpreted and misapplied passages of Scripture is that of Matthew 16:13-19. The Catholic Church interprets the confession of Peter and Messiah's response as the establishment of the Papal line and their authority to change the Law of Elohim and to make their own law. Protestants stumble and stutter over refuting the Catholic interpretation but essentially regard Messiah's response as the formation of a new structure they like to refer to as "the Church," built upon the messianic claims of Yahusha (or "Jesus" as they would call him).

This article will offer scriptural evidence from a grammatical and contextual perspective that Peter's confession and Yahusha's momentous response to be the Messiah's declaration of the restoration of David's tent in conjunction with the initialization of the re-gathering of Israel through Messiah, and the restitution of the Torah and the Scriptural ordinances as the proper means of settling disputes in Messiah's family.

The Text is as follows:

Now when [vwhy (Yahusha) came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His taught ones, saying, “Who do men say the Son of Adam is?” And they said, “Some say Yochanan the Immerser, and others Eliyahu, and others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “And you, who do you say I am?” And Shimon Kepha answering, said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.” And [vwhy (Yahusha) answering, said to him, “Blessed are you, Shimon Bar-Yonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in the heavens. And I also say to you that you are Kepha, and on this rock I shall build My assembly, and the gates of the grave shall not overcome it. And I shall give you the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loosen on earth shall be having been loosened in the heavens.” (Mattityahu 16:13-19, The Scriptures)

The Confession of Kepha

To this point in time in Messiah's ministry, Yahusha had not yet made a clear, explicit verbal declaration that he is the Messiah of Scripture. He had already implicitly indicated so on many occasions through his miracles, teachings and activities. But his talmidim (Hebrew, disciples, "taught ones") were still uncertain of his true identity and were afraid to ask. So on this occasion, Yahusha put the question to them about who he was rumored to be:

Now when [vwhy (Yahusha) came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His taught ones, saying, “Who do men say the Son of Adam is?”

The "son of Adam" could be generically a reference to any man. But Daniel the prophet's use of the term gave it a messianic context. Furthermore, this is a title which Yahusha had used of himself, so his talmidim understood he was speaking of himself.

Their response was not out of bounds. The people of Israel had been discussing and debating who they thought Yahusha was. So his disciples responded:

“Some say Yochanan the Immerser, and others Eliyahu, and others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets.”

By this time, Yochanan (John) the Immerser had been beheaded by Herod and was rumored to have been resurrected and returned as this one doing miracles. This was far-fetched, of course, as many wild rumors are. Others were supposing that he was Elijah or Jeremiah because of the miracles and teachings he performed. In fact, there are other places where the people were rumored to have thought that Yahusha was the Prophet spoken of by Mosheh, but the disciples didn't report that rumor here.

Next, Yahusha directs his attention toward what his own disciples were thinking:

He said to them, “And you, who do you say I am?” And Shimon Kepha answering, said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.”

Peter, whose Hebrew name is Shimon Kepha, replied succinctly, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim." Kepha was always impetuous and spoke frankly about what was on his mind. While the other disciples had some doubts and so were cautious to make such an audacious claim, Kepha was not.

Peter's confession of faith regarding Yahusha's identity is not in dispute here. Kepha recognized through his works and words who Yahusha was claiming to be. We concur with Peter. There is no doubt that Kepha was correct in identifying Yahusha as the Messiah of promise and the very Son of the Living Elohim. This relationship that Yahusha had with the Father is one of identity (see our study, Is Messiah the Deity, or Not?).

I Will Build My Church

Yahusha's response to Kepha's confession has been confused and misunderstood. Though the Sanhedrin, made up of primarily Pharisees and Sadducees, were unable to correctly discern the true identity of Yahusha, Peter had a clear perception, because he was being led by the Set-apart Spirit. The Sanhedrin refused to comply with the Torah of Mosheh and were subsequently blinded to the truth, but Kepha had an open mind and heart and was ready to receive the truth. Thus,

[vwhy answering, said to him, “Blessed are you, Shimon Bar-Yonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in the heavens.

The other disciples didn't yet understand Yahusha's identity. But Kepha understood because the Holy Spirit had given Peter insight which the others didn't have. Thus, Kepha was "blessed" because the Father had made this known to him.

With a play on words common in the Hebrew tongue and used widely by the prophets and writers of Scripture, Messiah made further declaration pertinent to Peter's confession:

And I also say to you that you are Kepha, and on this rock I shall build My assembly (most English Bibles say "church"), and the gates of the grave shall not overcome it.

Messiah Yahusha seems to be saying that he will build his assembly ("church") on some rock.

Most Bible scholars over the centuries have assumed that the gospel of Matthew was originally written in Greek. These have noticed in the Greek New Testament manuscripts a probable word play on the name Peter (in Greek, "Petros") and the rock (Greek, "petra") on which Messiah would build. Since Peter is a "rock" and since Jesus would build on a "rock," then clearly Peter is the foundation of the church. Right? Not quite. Thus, it is incorrectly thought by the Roman Catholic Church that Peter himself is that "rock" on which the "church" would be built. So in their view, Peter is surely the Rock or foundation of the New Testament Church - the first Pope!

But, in fact, these words of Messiah were not originally given in Greek. Current scholarship is recognizing with a high degree of certainty that Yahusha spoke in Hebrew (not Greek) and that Matthew's gospel was written in the Hebrew language, where that conjectured word play of the Greek text doesn't play out the same. There is no such word play in the Hebrew tongue.

There are a few ancient manuscripts of Matthew's gospel in Hebrew which are being studied for their contribution to New Testament thought. There is a different word play in this passage in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew word for stone is even and the Hebrew word for "I will build" is evneh. Thus, in the Hebrew manuscripts of Matthew's gospel, Messiah said to Peter, "You are a stone (even) and I will build (evneh) on you my house of prayer." The word play is not on "Peter" and "rock" as some think. The name "Peter" does not even occur in his statement.

The word play is on "stone" and "build": "you are a stone and I will build..." The emphasis is not on Kepha, per se. Peter is just one of the stones with which Messiah will build his assembly. And that stone is Peter in his state of understanding as led by the Set-apart Spirit. The rock being built upon is the foundation of the understanding of Torah (Scriptures) as taught by the Holy Spirit.

Yes, even the Hebrew text says, "and I will build on you." So, Peter is the focus of what Yahusha was promising to do. But Kepha, in his own words, says that all who have this understanding that Yahusha is the Messiah are "stones" which build up the household of Elohim:

As you come to him, the living Stone-- rejected by men but chosen by Elohim and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Elohim through Yahusha Messiah. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

All who place their allegiance in Yahusha as Messiah are "living stones" and are being "built into a spiritual house"! Thus, not only Peter, but all his disciples, are stones upon which the household of Elohim is built. Peter does not stand above all others. He is a "stone of the house" like everyone else.

The next notion which we need to debunk is that of Messiah building some new organization called "the Church." The major problem with this rendering and interpretation of the text is that neither the Torah of Mosheh (the Law) nor the Prophets ever spoke of, mentioned or alluded to the Messiah building a new structure which he would be head of. The Torah and the Prophets have a great deal to say, however, about the restoration and re-establishment of the House of Israel, which Yahuwah promised to perform in the last days.

Messiah never spoke outside of the Law and the Prophets. All of his teaching is in perfect harmony with what was revealed in the Torah and the Prophets. So, rather than try to concoct a new organization which Messiah is purportedly building unto himself, it is much more consistent and congruent with Scriptural principle to at least attempt to understand Messiah's statement as supporting and explaining in further detail something the Torah and the Prophets spoke of.

In conjunction with that idea of the rebuilding and restoration of the House of Israel spoken of by the Torah and the Prophets, the Hebrew language uses a word, sometimes translated "to build" but which can also be rendered "to rebuild." Thus, Messiah's declaration to Peter could be translated, "I will rebuild my assembly..." without stretching the underlying thought of text at all. And in fact, this translation of the text has much to commend itself, particularly when we consider the numerous times the Prophets spoke concerning the re-establishment of the House of Israel.

The prophet Amos speaks of the rebuilding of David's fallen tent:

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old (Amos 9:9-11 KJV).

Here, the house of Israel is spoken of as disciplined and scattered among the nations on account of their sin. And in this context, Yahuwah informs us through the prophet that he will one day restore David's fallen tent (a reference to the house of Israel) and rebuild it as in days of old. The nation of Israel is the only institution which the prophets mention that Yahuwah would restore and build back up. There is no mention of any other structure that Yahuwah would "build" in the "last days" except for the house of Israel.

It is specifically with reference to the Amos prophesy cited above that James describes the "building" of the New Testament assembly (church) and the inclusion of the gentiles in the assembly:

Simeon has explained how Elohim first concerned himself to select from among the Gentiles a people for his name. The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek Yahuwah, namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be my own,' says Yahuwah, who makes these things known from long ago (Acts 15:14-18, citing Amos 9).

The Gentiles are seen as being grafted into the house of Israel when David's fallen tent is being rebuilt from its ruins.

The Messiah's resurrection and ascension and the subsequent sending of the Set-apart Spirit is emphatically explained to be a fulfillment of the prophecies which describe the restoration of the house of Israel, NOT the building of a new thing. Kepha speaks of the activities on Shavuot (a.k.a. Pentecost) as being a fulfillment of what the prophets said would happen to the house of Israel in the last days:

But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Yoel: 'And in the last days it will be,' Elohim says, 'that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy (Acts 2:16-18).

This citation by Kepha of Yoel 2 stops short. The prophet goes on to say:

It will so happen that everyone who calls on the name of Yahuwah will be delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Yerushalayim there will be those who survive, just as Yahuwah has promised; the remnant will be those whom Yahuwah will call. For look! In those days and at that time I will return the exiles to Yehudah and Yerushalayim (Yoel 2:32-3:1).

Here the pouring out upon all flesh is connected with what follows - the returning of the exiles of the house of Israel back to Yehudah and Yerushalayim. Again, this is evidence that the so called "building of the church" was really talking about the re-establishment and restoration of the exiled house of Israel.

In Acts 3 is recorded the events immediately following Shavuot (that "first" Pentecost). Here Kepha (Peter) speaks of those events as fulfilling what the prophets wrote about long ago:

But the things Elohim foretold long ago through all the prophets--that his Messiah would suffer--he has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of Yahuwah, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you--that is, Yahusha'. This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which Elohim declared from times long ago through his set-apart prophets. Mosheh said, 'Yahuwah your Elohim will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.' And all the prophets, from Shemuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that Elohim made with your ancestors, saying to Avraham, 'And in your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.' Elohim raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities." (Acts 3:18-26).

First, Kepha describes the events of Shavuot as the beginning of the fulfillment of the restoration of the house of Israel as spoken of by the prophets. These events were precursors of the restoration of all things (i.e. the restoration of David's fallen tent - the house of Israel).

Next, Kepha describes those folks in his listening audience as "sons of the prophets and of the covenant that Elohim made" with the fathers. Certainly those who insist that a "new thing" was created (i.e. "the Church") would never describe themselves as "sons of the prophets and of the covenant of the fathers." Yet, that is precisely who Kepha is speaking to - he is speaking to "Israel", not to some alleged "New Testament Church"!

Therefore, Messiah's response to Kepha's confession must be understood as describing Yahusha's work to rebuild and restore the house of Israel, as foretold so many times by the Prophets of old.

The Keys of the Reign of the Heavens

Yahusha's next statement, then, must be understood in the context in which it was declared:

And I shall give you the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loosen on earth shall be having been loosened in the heavens (Matthew 16:18,19).

There is little debate about the crux of this statement. Messiah is speaking about giving some authority to Kepha. Binding and loosening is a Hebrew language idiom for exercising authority (to prohibit and permit). But the debate over its interpretation is about the nature of this authority and the exercising of this authority.

The Catholic Church sees this authority as their right to change Law, overturn Law and create new Law. And so we must ask ourselves: "is it possible to alter the Almighty's Law or overturn it?" There are a myriad of places in the Law and the Prophets which expressly prohibit the changing or abrogation of Elohim's Law. Yahuwah himself instructed through Mosheh:

Now, Yisrael, pay attention to the rules and right-rulings I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that Yahuwah, the Elohim of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of Yahuwah your Elohim that I am delivering to you (Devarim [Deuteronomy] 4:1,2).

And,

You must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! (Devarim 12:32).

In the Psalms, David says repeatedly that the Law of Elohim is eternal, everlasting, never ending:

Yahuwah, your Instructions endure; they stand secure in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

Long ago I realized that you ordained your rules to last. (Psalm 119:152)

Your justice endures, and your law is reliable. (Psalm 119:142)

And Messiah himself said,

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah (Law) or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the Torah (Law) until everything takes place. (Matthew 5:17,18)

This sounds very clearly to be a definitive statement about the abiding validity of the Torah.

Therefore, in light of the explicit revelation of Scripture and the confirmation from the lips of Messiah, the Law of Elohim cannot be altered, nullified or replaced by an institution of man. The Catholic Church has no authorization from the Scripture to meddle with the Almighty's Law. The Torah is unchangeable.

What then is this authority which has been given to Peter? And what are the keys of the reign of heaven which Peter was to receive? The prophet Yeshayahu (a.k.a. Isaiah) speaks about the key which is connected to the authority to bind and loose:

"At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Yerushalayim and of the people of Yehudah. I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. (Yeshayahu 22:20-22)

Here, the "key" that Eliakim was to receive was authority over the house of David to open and close (bind and loose). The promise to the church of Philadelphia in the book of Revelation also associates this key of David with the authority to bind and loose:

To the angel of the congregation in Philadelphia write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Set-apart One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open" (Revelation 3:7)

This "key" appears to be the right to rule and reign over the house of Israel.

What is the standard by which the house of Israel was to be managed? The Torah of Mosheh was that standard.

Now this is the commandment - the rules and right-rulings that Yahuwah your Elohim instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed and that you may so revere Yahuwah your Elohim that you will keep all his rules and commandments that I am giving you--you, your children, and your grandchildren--all your lives, to prolong your days. (Devarim 6:1,2)

The nation of Israel was to be operated according to the laws and right-rulings of the Torah. All disputes were to be settled by the application of the laws and right-rulings.

In fact, the Torah was Israel's inheritance:

Mosheh delivered to us an instruction, an inheritance for the assembly of Ya'acov. (Devarim 33:4)

The Instruction (Hebrew, "Torah" or "Law") was made up of two parts:

Now this is the commandment - the rules and right-rulings that Yahuwah your Elohim instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed.... (Devarim 6:1)

The "rules" (Hebrew, chukot) were the basic laws or precepts. These would include the ten commandments, for example. These precepts are basic guidelines for behavior. The breaking of these commandments usually resulted in a severe penalty. The "right-rulings" (Hebrew, mishpatim) were the "judgments" or correct disciplinary measures in the event of a minor misdeed. Included among these, for example, is the commandment to help return your unfriendly neighbor's animal when you find it gone astray, and to require the restitution of property plus a fifth of its value to the one wronged. The mishpatim were the "judgments" which Israel was to administer when someone was found guilty of wronging another.

The "keys of the reign of the heavens" about which Yahusha spoke to Peter is the authority given to the disciples of Yahusha to manage and reign over his body by the use of the rules (Hebrew, chukot) and right-rulings (Hebrew, mishpatim) of the Torah. These tools ("keys") are the means by which to instruct and manage the body of Messiah. They are the laws and judgments by which all of Israel is to live.

The Disciples' Authority to Bind and to Loose

Now let's consider the instruction in Matthew 16:19

whatever you bind on earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loosen on earth shall be having been loosened in the heavens.

Much is made of the grammatical construction in the Greek manuscripts in this verse by New Testament Greek scholars. Rightly so, because the grammar is very important to the understanding of the meaning of this instruction.

"Shall be having been bound" and "shall be having been loosened" is very awkward English. But it accurately renders the periphrastic future perfect tense of the Greek text. It is constructed by attaching the future tense of the "to be" verb to the perfect participle of the action verbs. It essentially means, "when this judgment is 'bound,' it shall already have been bound in heaven" and "when the judgment is 'loosed' (released), it shall already have been released in heaven." The action, when declared by the disciples, will at that point in time already have been done by heaven.

What Messiah was actually saying was, "the judgment which you render shall have already been rendered." Why? This is not because the disciples have been given independent discretion to make their own judgments about people and their cases. This is what many Christians think this statement means. But Yahusha was not giving his disciples carte blanche authority to decide cases using their best judgment merely because they were his disciples.

Keep in mind that Yahusha was always upholding the authority of the Torah of Mosheh as the correct walk of faith and the authoritative body of instructions for his people Israel. The prophets tell us that the Law of Messiah's reign is the Torah of Mosheh. So, since the "keys of the reign of the heavens" are the laws and judgments of the Torah, Yahusha is merely affirming this for his disciples. They are to use the laws and judgment of the Torah to administer Yahusha' people.

Any decisions that have to be made in the assembly of Messiah must be done in accordance to the mishpatim. When all disputes and disagreements among Messiah's people are handled and settled according to the judgments of the Torah, then it is easy to see how that the decision was already made in heaven. Any loosing or binding must be done in accordance with what has already been decided by Elohim and written into the Torah.

Thus, when the elders decide to "bind" in accordance to the dictates of the mishpatim of the Torah, then heaven has indeed already decided the case and has "bound." And when the elders decide to "loose" according to the dictates of the judgments of the Law, then heaven has already "loosened" because the decision has already been made by Elohim and it has been written into the Torah as a judgment.

There is no new authority that Kepha has been given. Neither is there any new authority that the assembly (the "church") has been given. The authority that Messiah has given to his disciples and their descendants is that authority which has been encapsulated into the Torah and had already been given to Israel. These are the righteous judgments which the Almighty has issued for the building up of and administration of Messiah's assembly.

The keys of the reign of Messiah are rightfully placed in the hands of Messiah's disciples, because theirs is the Torah, and their inheritance is the Torah. Messiah Yahusha's declaration to Peter is merely an affirmation of what has already been established. The prophets declare that Messiah will teach the Torah to the nations:

In the future the mountain of Yahuwah's temple will endure as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations will stream to it, many peoples will come and say, "Come, let's go up to Yahuwah's mountain, to the temple of the Elohim of Ya'acov, so he can teach us his paths, and we can follow his ways." For Zion will be the center for moral instruction (Hebrew, "Torah"); Yahuwah will issue edicts from Yerushalayim. He will judge disputes between nations; he will settle cases for many peoples. (Yeshayahu [Isaiah} 2:2-4)

The judging of disputes and settling of cases during the Messianic age will be done in conjunction with the moral instructions of the Torah. The mishpatim are those laws which are the judgments between disputers.

The prophet Micah says the same thing:

...and many nations will come, saying, "Come on! Let's go up to Yahuwah's mountain, to the temple of Ya'acov's Elohim, so he can teach us his commands, and we can live by his laws." For Zion will be the source of instruction, and Yahuwah's teachings will proceed from Yerushalayim. He will arbitrate between many peoples, and mediate for many distant nations. (Micah 4:2,3)

It is well known that Messiah will rule and reign on earth during the Messianic age and enforce the Torah. And his disciples will reign with him. So, why should it be any surprise that the disciples of the Messiah should be using those same laws and judgments of the Torah to administer the assembly of Messiah in the present age?

Conclusion

The Christian Church has misinterpreted many Scriptures because it has ignored the Torah of Scripture. The Torah has not been done away with any more than heaven and earth have disappeared. The Messiah taught his disciples that the Torah is still valid and that walking in accordance to the commandments of the Torah is the correct way to express faith in him.

Yahusha claimed through his teachings and lifestyle, and through implicit and explicit dialogue that he is the Prophet who was to come - the very Messiah of prophecy. And for those of his disciples who recognize and confess this fact of his identity are given the Torah as the correct way to administer his assembly, settle disputes and issue decisions which affect the body of Messiah.

Written by David M Rogers

www.BibleTruth.cc

Published: August 2007

Updated: July 2010