OLD TRESTAMENT: Exodus 1: 8 - 2: 10 (RCL)

Exod 1:8 (NRSV) Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pi'thom and Ram'eses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiph'rah and the other Pu'ah, 16 "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live." 2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Le'vite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" 8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."


Isaiah 51: 1 - 6 (alt. for RCL)

Isai 51:1 (NRSV) Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the LORD.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the LORD;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.


Isaiah 22: 15, 19 - 23 (Roman Catholic)

Isai 22:15 (NRSV) Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: Come, go to this steward, to Sheb'na, who is master of the household, and say to him: 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post.
20 On that day I will call my servant Eli'akim son of Hilki'ah, 21 and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. 23 I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house.


PSALM 124 (RCL)

Psal 124:1 (NRSV) If it had not been the LORD who was on our side
--let Israel now say--
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.


124 Nisi quia Dominus (ECUSA BCP)

1 If the LORD had not been on our side, *
let Israel now say;

2 If the LORD had not been on our side, *
when enemies rose up against us;

3 Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
in their fierce anger toward us;

4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
and the torrent gone over us;

5 Then would the raging waters *
have gone right over us.

6 Blessed be the LORD! *
he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the Name of the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.


Psalm 138 (alt. for RCL)
Psalm 138: 1 - 3, 6, 8 (Roman Catholic)

Psal 138:1 (NRSV) I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.


138 Confitebor tibi (ECUSA BCP)

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;

3 For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.

4 When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
that great is the glory of the Lord.

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.


NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 12: 1 - 8 (RCL)

Roma 12:1 (NRSV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.


h/t Montreal Anglican

Romans 12:1-8
V. 1 can be paraphrased as: I have been telling you about “the mercies of God” in the preceding chapters; therefore be obedient to God's will: present yourselves as a “sacrifice” (as in the sacrifice of animals in the Temple, i.e. completely), but one that lives: this is your worship of God; it involves your very being. We are, Paul says in v. 2, to be “transformed” by adopting a new mind set, in order to recognize God's will for us, by discerning that which is “good, ... acceptable [to him] and perfect” – rather than giving in (conforming) to the way of thinking in the world around us. We are to adopt a new starting point in our thinking.
How? Because, through the authority and grace given to him by God, Paul insists that we should think of ourselves and use the gifts God has given us, as God has “assigned” (v. 3) to us – not as we or the world consider these gifts. All of us are members of the body of Christ, and each has particular gifts. Together we are “one body in Christ” (v. 5), and each is dependent on every other. For the benefit of the community, God has given us different gifts. If my gift is “prophecy” (v. 6, inspired preaching), prophesy to the extent that God has given me the ability; if “ministry” (v. 7, administration of material aid or distribution of alms), “teaching” (a distinct role in the early church), “exhortation” (v. 8, urging others to have faith), giving, or leading, do so properly. If my gift is being “compassionate” (v. 8), be so joyfully. Use the gifts God has given me, and restrict myself to these gifts. In the following verses, Paul illustrates various aspects of the general command of love.


Romans 11: 33 - 36 (Roman Catholic)

Roma 11:33 (NRSV) O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Or who has given a gift to him,
to receive a gift in return?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Romans 12:1-8

Verse 1: “I appeal to you”: Paul speaks as an authorized apostle. See also 1:5; 11:13. [NJBC]

Verse 1: “therefore”: In view of the arguments presented above, particularly in 3:21-8:39.

Verse 1: “by the mercies of God”: As he has mentioned in Chapters 9-11, especially 11:30-32. [NJBC]

Verse 1: “bodies”: As often in Paul, he means selves [NOAB] or whole being [CAB]. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 he asks: “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body”.

Verse 1: “spiritual worship”: An NRSV footnote offers reasonable as an alternative translation. The term is taken from Greek philosophical usage, where it is used to state that spiritual or reasonable worship is not confined to any given space or sacred time, but involves the whole person at every moment of his or her life. [CAB] It is guided by logos, reason, ratio (Latin), and befits a human being. [NJBC]

Verse 2: Christians are to live as belonging to the coming age, not this present world. 1 John 2:15 advises: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world”. See also Ephesians 2:2. [NOAB]

Verse 2: “conformed”: i.e. Christian existence is not to be determined by the structures of earthly existence. Vv. 3-13 elaborate this notion and give examples of it. [CAB] See also 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. This alludes to the Jewish distinction between this world/era and the world/era to come. It was adopted by the early Church and was given a Christian nuance. To Paul, the new era has already begun. [NJBC]

Verse 2: “transformed by the renewing of your minds”: This is explained in 12:14-21. See also 2 Corinthians 3:18. The change is internal and not external; it is effected by the indwelling Holy Spirit. [NJBC]

Verse 3: See also 1 Corinthians 4:19; 5:2; 8:1-2; 12:14-16; 13:4.

Verse 3: “by the grace given to me”: In 1:4-5, Paul speaks of “... Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name”. See also 15:15.

Verse 3: “measure of faith”: The gift of faith to work miracles (1 Corinthians 13:2) or of trusting obedience in Christ, with which to measure oneself, or the faith or gospel that Christians confess.

Verses 4-5: In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul says: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ”.

Verse 6: “We have gifts that differ”: See also 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

Verse 6: “in proportion to faith”: The Greek wording indicates that Christian preaching is accountable to accepted theological standards observed within the prophetic community. [CAB]

Verse 6: “prophecy”: i.e. intelligible preaching. [CAB] See also 1 Corinthians 12:10; 13:2; 14:1-6, 24; 1 Thessalonians 5:20.

Verse 7: “ministry”: The Greek word is diakonia; it is usually translated as service or ministry, as here. It can relate to official forms of office (as in 11:13; 2 Corinthians 4:1; 5:18; 6:3) or to specific tasks, e.g contributions for the poor among the Jerusalem church (Romans 15:31; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:1; 12:13). [CAB] To NJBC, it is the administration of material aid or distribution of the alms of the community: see 1 Corinthians 16:15 and Acts 6:1. To him, there is nothing in the text to show that diakonia here refers to the office of deacon.

Verse 7: “teacher”: In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul gives an ordered list of those God has appointed in the Church: “... first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues”. See also Ephesians 4:11.

Verse 8: The gifts listed here have less to do with specific office bearers, and more to do with life and work within the community, perhaps distinctly among lay leaders. [CAB]

Verse 8: “the exhorter”: A gift possessed by the spiritual father of the community. [NJBC]

Verse 8: “the giver”: i.e. the person who shares private wealth by way of alms.

Verse 8: “in generosity”: or with a generous simplicity. Paul also mentions the generosity of Christians in 2 Corinthians 8:2; 9:11, 13.

Verse 8: “the leader”: NOAB suggests the administrator, perhaps of charity (see 1 Thessalonians 5:12) or patron, benefactor (see 16:2). NJBC notes that the Greek is ho proistamenos, the one at the head of the community, i.e. an official or administrator.

Verse 8: “the compassionate”: NJBC offers the merciful helper, one who does acts of mercy.



GOSPEL: Matthew 16: 13 - 20 (all)

Matt 16:13 (NRSV) Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Eli'jah, and still others Jeremi'ah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.


Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus has warned his disciples about religious leaders who can foretell the weather but “cannot interpret the signs of the times” (v. 3); they influence others, leading them astray. The only sign of the new era will be his resurrection (“sign of Jonah”, v. 4). Beyond the reach of Herod Antipas’ spies, he is free to talk. He asks his disciples: who do people say that I am? Herod thinks that he is “John the Baptist” (v. 14); “Elijah” was expected to return at the end of time; “Jeremiah” foretold rejection and suffering. Jesus is seen as a prophet, a spokesman for God. When Jesus asks the disciples the same question (v. 15), Peter has a vital insight, which “my Father” (v. 17), not humans (“flesh and blood”), has revealed to him.
Vv. 18-19 are particularly thorny, for they are overloaded with the issue of papal authority; I seek to avoid this issue. It is clear that:
• if Jesus spoke in Aramaic, “Peter” and “rock” are both cephas;
• in Greek, the words are petros and petra, so there may be word-play;
• Jesus switches from “Simon” (v. 17, the formal name) to “Peter” (v. 18, his nickname);
• “Hades” was the place of the dead, so the “church” will survive Jesus’ death;
• in the Greek, “you” is singular throughout vv. 18-19; and
• “bind” (v. 19) and “loose” are rabbinic terms for forbid and permit in a juridical sense;
in 18:18-19 these powers are conferred on any two of the apostles. The “rock” (v. 18) may be
• Peter’s insight of Jesus as Christ (“Messiah”, v. 16);
• that God does reveal to church leaders;
• Peter; or
• the disciples (if Jesus paused after the second clause of v. 18).
Jesus gives Peter “the keys” (v. 19), the ability to unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom; they may also be a symbol of authority over the Church. In v. 20, Jesus “sternly” orders the disciples to keep the insight quiet, lest people grasp it in a political way.

The parallels to vv. 13-23 are Mark 8:27-33 and Luke 9:18-22.
Verse 1: “The Pharisees and Sadducees”: Because these two groups would make strange bedfellows, it is likely that representatives of the religious authorities is intended.
Verse 4: “An evil and adulterous generation”: Old Testament prophets used this expression to describe Israel’s turning away from God. See Jeremiah 3:8; Ezekiel 23:27; Hosea 2:2-10. [NOAB]
Verse 4: “the sign of Jonah”: Perhaps this is a reference to 12:39-40 which says in part: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth”. See Luke 11:29-30, 32 (where it is implied that Jesus is greater than Jonah); Jonah 3:4-5. To BlkMt it is the Resurrection.
Verse 5: “the other side”: i.e. the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Verse 6: “the yeast”: The hypocrisy that starts from the Pharisees and Sadducees and, through their teaching, permeates their followers.
Verse 13: “Caesarea Philippi”: A city built by Philip and named Caesarea Philippi to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima. [NJBC]
Verse 13: “he asked his disciples”: On the basis that the tense is the imperfect, BlkMt says that he asked persistently.
Verse 13: “the Son of Man”: Here equivalent to I. [NOAB] In Daniel 7:13, where the NRSV has “human being”, the Aramaic original is son of man.
Verse 14: “Jeremiah”: He is named here because while he was experiencing rejection and suffering he predicted the rejection and suffering of the Messiah. [NJBC] This prophet is mentioned by name and quoted three times in Matthew (here, 2:17-18 and 27:9-10) and never in the other gospels.
Verse 16: “Simon Peter answered”: NJBC suggests that he acts as spokesman for the other apostles.
Verse 16: “the Messiah”: Both Christ and Messiah mean anointed. While others were anointed for office early in Old Testament times, later only kings were anointed. [NJBC]
Verse 16: “the Son of the living God”: This recalls Psalm 2:4-11, a psalm in which God acclaims the king of the people as his “Son: and as sovereign over the earth. [CAB] This phrase identifies Jesus with the figure in Malachi 3:1-4, expected to come at the end of time. See also Mark 1:2; John 1:49; 11:27. It may also indicate that Peter understands Jesus to be the religious Messiah, not the political one so many people expected. In the popular literature of the time (e.g. Psalms of Solomon 17), Messiah described Israel’s future leader in the time before and during the eschaton; he would fulfill Israel’s hopes based on God’s promises.
Verse 17: “Jonah”: I note that “the sign of Jonah” occurs in v. 4. Was Peter the son of Jonah?
Verse 17: “but my Father in heaven”: Understanding spiritual realities involves God’s disclosure. [NOAB] See also 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 1:16; Ephesians 6:12.
Verse 18: The Greek text involves a play on two words, petros, (“Peter”) and petra (“rock”). Palestinian Aramaic, which Jesus usually spoke, used the same word for both proper name and common noun: “You are Kepha [Cephas; compare 1 Corinthians 15:5; Galatians 2:9], and upon this kepha [rock] I will build ...”. For the view that all the apostles also form the foundation of the church, see Ephesians 2:20 and Revelation 21:14. [NOAB]
Isaiah 51:1-2 may be in view: “Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many.” The notion of placing a foundation on a rock also occurs in 1QH (Qumran Hymns) 14:26 (Vermes 6:26).
Verse 18: “church”: See also Galatians 1:13. It is the people of God, called into fellowship with the Lord through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
Verse 18: “Hades”: The place of the dead. To control the “gates” of a city was to conquer it. See also Isaiah 38:10; Job 38:17; Psalm 9:14; Wisdom of Solomon 16:13.
Verse 19: Isaiah 22:22-23 may shed some light on this verse: “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honour to his ancestral house.” Job 12:13-14 speaks of shutting: “With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, no one can rebuild; if he shuts someone in, no one can open up.” 1 Enoch 1-16 thinks in these terms.
Verse 19: “‘whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven’”: Using terminology found in the rabbinic traditions (“bind”, “loose”), Peter and the apostles will make decisions about regulations to guide the life of the community, which will be confirmed by God “in heaven”. 18:18 also contains these words. [CAB]
Verse 19: “the keys of the kingdom”: They are a symbol of Peter’s power as the leader of the church. [NOAB] While this verse seems to say that Peter has full access to knowledge of the Kingdom, in v. 21-22 he shows a lack of understanding.
Verse 19: “bind ... loose”:
In discussing the question of the identification of the “rock” (v. 18) and the significance of the “keys” and of binding and loosing (v. 19) the author and I came to the realization that we were unable ultimately to extricate ourselves from dialogue on the question of papal authority, for this text has been long used as a proof-text in papal claims. (Petrine mysticism) We realized that our alternative interpretations tended either to support or refute papal claims and we were hard-pressed to establish another line of enquiry external to that dialogue. With that difficulty in mind, I engage in some historical conjecture.
First, Matthew's Gospel appears to be written from a Jewish perspective and/or for a Jewish-Christian audience. It also exhibits a bias toward universalism, ending with the Great Commission. Matthew also shows interest in the community, using here (v. 18) and again (twice) in 18:17 the term ekklesia (church) – the only places in the Gospels where the term occurs. Matthew's Gospel is commonly dated to the 80s or 90s of the first century CE, and certainly not earlier than the 50s.
It is well attested in Paul's letters that there was ongoing conflict between conservative Jewish Christians and liberal Jewish and Gentile Christians on the question of the role of the Law in the new community. This came to the fore in the dispute over Peter's visit to the Gentile Cornelius (Acts 10-11). Consider, for example, the report in Acts 11:2b-3: “the circumcised believers criticized [Peter], saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’”. Peter's initial response indicates adoption of the liberal perspective that the Law was no longer binding. Yet, notwithstanding the initial claim that the matter was settled (Acts 11:18: “they were silenced”) the matter was clearly not settled, as we see from the convening of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15, c. 45 CE). In the Acts account, Peter continues to speak for his liberal position, although the ultimate decision of the Council still requires abstention from blood, from strangled animals and from food sacrificed to idols. However, in Paul's account of the same incident, he accuses Peter of repudiating his former acceptance of Gentile practises. (See Galatians 2:1-14 – this assumes that Cephas and Peter are the same person, which is not universally accepted). Again from Galatians, we see that there continues to be open conflict on the issue of observance of the Law in the Church.
Now, how does this relate to Matthew? Writing at least a decade – and probably several decades - after the initial conflict, but still in an era of open dispute between Jewish and Gentile Christians, perhaps Matthew is here lending credence to Peter's stance as it was ultimately recorded in Acts. (A majority dating of Acts to 70-85 CE is consistent with the possibility that Matthew even had the text (vv. 18-19) in hand when finalizing his Gospel, though this possibility need not be assumed).
Given Matthew's universalist stance, the use of the terms “bind” and “loose” – possibly rabbinic terms for “oblige” and “permit” - may be a statement of the authority of Peter to modify the (Jewish-)Christian community's stance toward the Law. In other words, perhaps Matthew is here writing in support of Peter's authority to declare eating with Gentiles – and hence other non-observance of the Law – acceptable. Whether this is in support of the statements as published in Acts, or is Matthew's contribution to the controversy when it arose in the 40s (assuming a much earlier date for Matthew), it would seem that this passage may be part of Matthew's contribution to the debate between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Peter, who has correctly determined who Jesus is, now is authorized to interpret the religious regulations for the community. What is bound (obliged) on earth is bound in heaven and what is loosed (permitted) on earth is loosed in heaven. That is, Peter's universalist interpretation will have the seal of God's approval. As Rabbi Leigh Lerner (of Temple Emmanu-El Beth Shalom in Montreal) has written, “That which the correct interpreter permits on earth is truly permitted by God as well.”
If this statement in the Gospel does arise in the context of a specific controversy, it need not necessarily be a pronouncement of authority which continues to bind the church in a specific way for all time. Nevertheless, without presuming to pronounce here on claims of papal authority, the community of the People of God continues to have responsibility – and to need authority – to regulate itself in times of controversy. There continue to be contemporary issues which require correct interpretation as to what is obliged or permitted. [Alan T Perry]
Verse 19: “bind ... loose”: These are technical rabbinic terms meaning forbid and permit some action about which a question has arisen. Later the authority of binding and loosing was also conferred upon all the apostles: see 18:18. [NOAB]
In Gospel of Thomas 12, the key role is assigned to James, the leader of the Jewish Christians. For Gentile Christians, Paul would have been the preferred candidate for leadership. Peter thus represents a compromise that can hold both tendencies in the early church in an uneasy synthesis. Matthew here shows his ecumenical good sense. Peter was also the spokesman for the apostles during the ministry of Jesus. [NJBC]