Rev Gav
Who has the keys to the kingdom?
Jesus told Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven,” but what does this mean?
Clearly, Jesus is delegating authority to Peter, and Peter had the authority to declare who would be permitted to enter (or he had the authority to regulate entry into) God’s kingdom. We read about this in Acts, Chapters 10-11, where Peter introduced and oversaw the admission of the Gentile believers, saying “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Two thousand years ago, in a palace or castle belonging to someone noble or a king, the chief steward would carry the keys to the abode on their shoulder as a sign or badge of authority. It would be the same as someone today at The White House or Buckingham Palace having an ‘access all areas’ lanyard around their neck. By conferring the keys of the kingdom to Peter, Jesus was using it as a metaphor to say that Peter had the authority to grant access to every area.
Jesus extended this metaphor by telling Peter that whatever he bound or released on earth would be bound or released in heaven, so what did this mean?
Some scholars think this is about making decisions and defining church doctrine but I think that what Jesus is saying is that through Peter, heaven and earth would overlap — that earthly decisions and physical actions would have have corresponding heavenly consequences — because they will occupy the same space. God’s kingdom was coming to earth ‘as it is in heaven’ and God’s Spirit (heaven) was going to be in Peter (earth). The ministry of Peter was going to be about setting people free from sin and releasing them both on earth and in heaven.
On a quick side note, those who are super-observant will have noticed that the text actually reads, “will have been” bound in heaven or released in heaven, as if the heavenly bit had already happened. This paradox is outside the remit of this short Insight, but I wonder if it points to the fact that God is outside of time — that in heaven we were set free before it was declared to us on earth. Too much? Okay, enough mind-bending stuff, let’s move on.
Through the use of metaphors of earthly authority and earthly acts of emancipation, and through the power of heaven and earth being brought together, the church would have a mission and ministry, and it would begin with Peter.
If we go back to the story of Genesis, to that garden, we find a place where heaven and earth were fully overlapping, and where God, walking with humans, had chosen humans to be in God’s image and co-creators with God in the world — through naming, taming, and good stewardship of creation. God’s plan for humanity has never changed, and here in this passage, we have God re-establishing this plan for humanity.
God has chosen us to be part of the solution for the world. The keys of the kingdom have been handed down to us, and we have the authority to let people know that God loves them and accepts them, to let them know they have been set free from the law of sin and death, and like us can walk with God.
Through the Holy Spirit living in us we are, quite literally, bringers of heaven to earth. We are called to shine like lights — shining the light of heaven into the dark places on earth. Like Adam and Eve in that garden (two metaphors for humanity walking with God) we too walk with God, and through our presence, we have the opportunity to bring God to a hurting and broken world.
Like Peter, we have been delegated this authority, but like Peter, we can choose to open doors for others or close them; to leave people chained or to set them free. God wants us to work together with God, and the choice is ours.
On Sunday, where we currently live, I will be preaching at the Pride Worship at our local Methodist Church. In Bermuda, the LGBTQIA+ community have been told by the church that they are not welcome into God’s kingdom — the church has closed the doors on them — and sadly, for many, there is still animosity between the church community and rainbow community. However, the reality is that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been filled with the Holy Spirit. If Peter was here today he would say, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” However, Peter is not here but we are.
I know that many of us who are part of FAB Church shine like lights in the places where we live and minister, but I wonder to what ministry God is calling us collectively? Each of us have been drawn to this little online community of believers, and yes, we love and support one another, but I am convinced that at some point God will not leave us as we are, but call us to collectively shine like lights in a dark world. Our job, as we are able — and something Helen and I are committed to doing — is to continually listen to the Spirit and discern God’s leading.
May God bless you this day.
Amen.
and then