1. Matthew 16:19 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

To what do “bind” and “loose” refer?

Matthew 16:19 (ESV)

19 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 loosedin heaven.”

In short

To bind and to loose refer to

  1. the preaching of the gospel that will either forbid or permit people from entering the kingdom of God; or

  2. the forbidding or permitting of certain doctrines or behaviour based on Jesus’ teachings.

Jesus tells Peter that he will be given the keys to the kingdom. This means that whatever he binds and looses on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. What does Jesus mean by whatever is bound or loosed?

The first thing to see is that in traditional Jewish writings, we find the terms to bind and to loose synonymous with to forbid and to permit. Thus, we will take the terms as such. With this in mind our question ends up being, what does Peter forbid and permit? Is it people, or behaviour?

The best way to understand what it means that Peter can forbid and permit is in light of the fact that he will be given the keys. What are the keys to the kingdom? We know from Luke 11:52 that Jesus chastises the Pharisees and lawyers who have the keys but disallow themselves and their hearers from entering the kingdom. In this context, the keys refer to the Old Testament, and their mishandling of it has blocked access to the kingdom. Peter, on the other hand, through faithfully preaching of the gospel will forbid and permit people to enter the kingdom. Those who deny that Jesus is the Christ will be forbidden, and those who confess Jesus is the Christ will be permitted. Thus, the preaching of Peter and the apostles will forbid and permit people.

Another reason for thinking that to forbid and to permit has to do with people, is by surveying the missionary efforts of the apostles in the book of Acts. In Acts 4:11–12 we find a clear example of Peter before the Jewish council explaining that Jesus is the only name by which salvation is had. In other words, access is forbidden by any other means. In Acts 2:41 we also read how Peter’s preaching permits access to salvation. There, his listeners are cut to the heart by his preaching of the gospel, and they place their faith in Christ.

Some authors argue that Jesus does not have people but behaviour in mind. The notion here is that Peter and the disciples are responsible for teaching Christian conduct based on Jesus’ ministry. Thus, whatever they forbid or permit in terms of behaviour, will be forbidden or permitted.

Authors make their case on several points. First, Jesus uses the term whatever. In Greek, the conjunction whatever comprises a relative pronoun and a particle ἐάν. When the relative pronoun is masculine, it likely refers to people, and when it is neuter, it likely refers to non-people. Since behaviour is non-people, and the relative pronoun is in the neuter, Jesus likely has behaviour in mind. The problem here is that the neuter can also stand in for people, and the context should be the deciding factor.

Next, authors argue that if Jesus referred to forbidding and permitting people, we should expect him to reverse the verbs to bind and to loose. In other words, we don’t expect Jesus to say that through the preaching, people will be forbidden or permitted. Rather, we expect him to say that through the preaching, people will be permitted or forbidden. While this observation might be true, our expectations are not always met. The fact is, it might have been conventional in rabbinic thought to use the term to bind before to loose, or Jesus might want to emphasize that many will reject him.

Finally, some authors point out that the new Christian community would have required substantial instruction as they moved beyond their Jewish heritage and into the new covenant with God. This is true, as far as it goes, but the purpose of teaching is so that people can enter the kingdom. Thus, the emphasis of the New Testament portrayal of the disciples’ mission is their acquiring converts through preaching, and not ethical instruction.

In the end, we want to be cautious about driving a thick wedge between these two interpretations. It is true that through the preaching and teaching of the disciples, people would enter the kingdom of heaven. It is also true that what the apostles were responsible for teaching the early church the new covenant based on the ministry of Christ. Of course, the purpose of that teaching is that people will be forbidden or permitted into the kingdom.

Interpretation 1:
To bind and to loose refer to the preaching of the gospel that will either forbid or permit people from entering the kingdom of God.  

Summary:

Jesus gives Peter and the disciples the keys to the kingdom. This means that when they proclaim the gospel, the message they preach will forbid and permit people into the kingdom of God. Those who hear the gospel and reject that Jesus is the Christ are forbidden from entering, and those who confess that Jesus is the Christ are permitted. 

God knows who will respond to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, and he acquires that response through the preaching of the gospel. We are God’s messengers, tasked with proclaiming that in his grace God forgives all those who repent and confess that Jesus is the Christ. Those who reject the gospel are forbidden from the kingdom, and those who accept the gospel are permitted.

Advocates:

  • Donald Carson

  • Ulrich Luz

  • David Turner

Minor differences:

Donald Carson and David Turner closely agree that the preaching of the gospel by the disciples either forbids or permits people to enter the kingdom of God.1,2 There is a subtle difference between Carson and Turner. Both exegetes see that in rabbinic thought, the terms binding and loosing were used to denote forbidding and permitting according to the law. Carson accepts that, given the Jewish background of Jesus and the disciples, this is likely how Jesus uses the terms in Matthew 16:19.3 Turner, on the other hand, thinks it is anachronistic to assign the later-recorded rabbinic use of the terms to Matthew 16:19.4

Ulrich Luz holds a slightly more nuanced view than Carson and Turner. For Luz, the apostles are tasked with opening and closing the kingdom of God, and they do this by teaching the will of God as revealed by Jesus. For Luz, this means their task is not limited to the gospel proclamation but could also include things like church discipline.5

Arguments

Interpretation 2:
To bind and to loose refer to the forbidding or permitting of certain doctrines or behaviour based on Jesus’ teachings.

Summary:

Jesus has been teaching his disciples a deeper understanding of the law. He has explained that hate is equivalent to murder, and lust equivalent to adultery. The disciples are to love not just their neighbours but also their enemies, and pray for those who persecute them. In the end, Jesus’ followers are called to be holy as God is holy. Once Jesus ascends into heaven, Peter and the other apostles will be responding for regulating the behaviour of the Christian community through Jesus’ teachings.

Advocates:

  • Leon Morris

  • John Nolland

  • Jakob van Bruggen

Minor differences:

There is a minor difference between our authors. For Jakob van Bruggen, what is bound and loosed has to do with the content of preaching as it relates to doctrinal norms. The disciples will teach that salvation is in Christ alone, and that people will be destroyed apart from him.17 The disciples will declare that faith liberates and unbelief damns.18 Thus, All people will be bound by the key-manual of the apostles.19

For Leon Morris and John Nolland, what is bound and loosed has less to do with doctrinal norms and more to do with conduct and behaviour. Thus, the disciples will be charged with teaching the right conduct as befits a follower of Christ.20,21

Arguments