Dictionary Article

Biblical concept much discussed and debated throughout Christian history. Jesus referred to binding and loosing on two different occasions. After Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said to him: “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” (Mt 16:19, rsv). Later, Jesus gave the same authority to bind and loose to all of the disciples (18:18).

Matthew is the only Gospel writer to record those specific words of Jesus. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus addressed similar but not identical words to the disciples after the resurrection: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:23, rsv). A problem arises in identifying both the nature and the extent of the authority Jesus gave.

“Bind” and “loose” translate two Greek words, themselves translations of words in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. Among Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries, the two Aramaic words were often used as technical rabbinic terms. They referred to the verdict of a teacher of the Law who, on the basis of his authority as an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law, could declare some action “bound” (forbidden) or “loosed” (permitted). (Compare Mt 23:2-3, where Jesus said: “The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you,” rsv.) Among the greatest Jewish rabbis, Shammai “bound” many actions that the more liberal teacher Hillel “loosed.”

Alongside that scribal use of the terms was their use in judicial contexts. They referred to the imposition or the removal of a ban or judgment. In that context the words meant “to condemn; imprison” and “to absolve; set free.” Both sets of meanings have been used to interpret the two texts in Matthew.

The precise meaning of the words in Matthew must be understood on the basis of their use in specific situations and in the light of the general NT understanding of apostolic authority. In Matthew 16:19 Peter’s authority to bind and loose is connected with his receiving “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” In the Gospels the “kingdom of heaven” (that is, kingdom of God) is the sphere of God’s rule, the “community” of people whom he rules as Lord. In a figurative sense, Peter was entrusted with the keys to that kingdom, that “building.” (See 1 Cor 3:9, 16-17; Eph 2:20-22; 1 Pt 2:4-5 for the idea of the people of God as his building.) The keys symbolize the authority entrusted to Peter as the one who confessed Jesus as Lord (Mt 16:16), and as the one who represents all those disciples who utter the same confession.

According to Matthew 23:13, the scribes were understood as guardians of the kingdom, since the knowledge of God had been entrusted to them (Lk 11:52). But they did not fulfill their trust; they shut the doors of the kingdom. Therefore, their task was transferred to Peter, spokesman for the 12 disciples, who were representatives of a new Israel (see Mt 21:43).

Interpretations on Binding and Loosing

The nature of Peter’s task and of his authority has been understood in various ways. Within the Roman Catholic tradition, the power of the keys has been taken to mean admission to, or exclusion from, the church. The authority to bind and loose is understood as apostolic authority to forgive sins or to refuse forgiveness. Further, it is understood as the authority to deliver decisions with regard to Christian faith and practice that are binding. Within the Roman Catholic tradition, it is also maintained that such authority belongs exclusively to the apostles and their successors, and most supremely to Peter and his successors, the bishops of Rome. Since those church authorities are seen as Christ’s representatives, their decisions on Christian faith and practice are believed to have received divine confirmation: “shall be bound ... [or] loosed in heaven” (that is, by God).

Within the Reformation tradition, the Roman Catholic interpretation of apostolic authority to bind and loose is rejected on the basis of several considerations. First, Jesus said nothing about successors to Peter and the other disciples. The concept of “apostolic succession” is therefore not grounded in the NT but was the result of historical development. Second, the position and authority of the original apostles was unique and unrepeatable. Jesus, the Christ, who lived on earth at a specific time and place, had a specific group of eyewitnesses who passed on his unique word, and on whose own witness the community of God’s people was built.

Thus, the authority to bind and to loose is not a scribal-type authority that forbids or permits certain things; nor is it the authority to refuse or to permit entrance into the kingdom of heaven, the sphere of God’s rule. Jesus’ disciples were called to be messengers of good news (Mt 10:7; 24:14); it is response to that Good News (the gospel) that binds or looses, which leads to forgiveness or to continuing bondage to sin, which sets persons free or judges them (Mt 10:14; Rom 10:14-17; 1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15-16).

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary