"And when he [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them [Apostles] and said to them [Apostles], “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose [sinners] sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” John chapter 20 verse 22-23
Question: If Jesus gave the Apostles the authority to forgive sins, then do you think the authority ended after the last Apostle died somewhere in 60 AD and did the Church that Jesus founded seize to exist?
Jesus started a Church during 30-33 AD, somewhere during the time as it state in the Bible. Was the Church supposed to stop functioning after Jesus left for Heaven? ~And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,* and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Matthew Chapter 16 verse 18.
Think about it, “gates of netherworld shall not prevail against it” until your death Peter; NO till the end of time – Amazing isn’t it. Jesus was preparing and building his Church for generations to come after Peter and the first eleven.
Another thing that I found interesting most argue that Peter was not the rock that Jesus was referring too. Here’s the problem with the argument, in Matthew Chapter 16 Jesus bestows blessing upon Peter before and after he hand him the authority here on earth. See below:
First Blessing:
Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. Matthew Chapter 16 verse 16-17
Second Blessing:
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.* Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew Chapter 16 verse 19.
Give you the Key to the Kingdom of heaven - another blessing.
Now, what I am confused about is that why after Jesus gave Peter blessing upon blessing and authority. Jesus would call Peter “a small rock” or a pebble as it is mostly argued in other Christian circles. Some argue that in this passage there is a minor difference between the Greek term for Peter (Petros) and the term for rock (petra), yet they ignore the obvious explanation: petra, a feminine noun, has simply been modified to have a masculine ending, since one would not refer to a man (Peter) as feminine. The change in the gender is purely for stylistic reasons. (Catholic.com~Origins of Peter as Pope)
These critics also neglect the fact that Jesus spoke Aramaic, and, as John 1:42 tells us, in everyday life he actually referred to Peter as Kepha or Cephas (depending on how it is transliterated). It is that term which is then translated into Greek as petros. Thus, what Jesus actually said to Peter in Aramaic was: "You are Kepha and on this very kepha I will build my Church." (Catholic.com~Origins of Peter as Pope)
The idea behind writing this article and the research is not to prove who is right or wrong. But, I would like my followers, readers to understand the teachings logically that Jesus’ Church was not limited to the 12 twelve Apostle, he did not bestow authority because he felt like, there was a purpose. Jesus was building a unit on earth through these Apostles for the generations to come, that these Apostles would preach, teach, lead and develop succession; pass on traditions and oral teaching to the ones they ordain giving their successors the authority to forgive sin in the name of Christ and for that reason the CHURCH has prevailed against the gates of Hades for 2000 years, since its commencement by Jesus in the year 30 AD.
Additional ExplanationYou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: the Aramaic word kēpā’ meaning rock and transliterated into Greek as CĒphas is the name by which Peter is called in the Pauline letters (1 Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:4; Gal 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14) except in Gal 2:7–8 (“Peter”). It is translated as Petros (“Peter”) in Jn 1:42. The presumed original Aramaic of Jesus’ statement would have been, in English, “You are the Rock (Kēpā’) and upon this rock (kēpā’) I will build my church.” The Greek text probably means the same, for the difference in gender between the masculine noun petros, the disciple’s new name, and the feminine noun petra (rock) may be due simply to the unsuitability of using a feminine noun as the proper name of a male. Although the two words were generally used with slightly different nuances, they were also used interchangeably with the same meaning, “rock.” Church: this word (Greek ekklēsia) occurs in the gospels only here and in Mt 18:17 (twice). There are several possibilities for an Aramaic original. Jesus’ church means the community that he will gather and that, like a building, will have Peter as its solid foundation. That function of Peter consists in his being witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it: the netherworld (Greek Hadēs, the abode of the dead) is conceived of as a walled city whose gates will not close in upon the church of Jesus, i.e., it will not be overcome by the power of death.
* [16:19] The keys to the kingdom of heaven: the image of the keys is probably drawn from Is 22:15–25 where Eliakim, who succeeds Shebnah as master of the palace, is given “the key of the house of David,” which he authoritatively “opens” and “shuts” (Mt 22:22). Whatever you bind…loosed in heaven: there are many instances in rabbinic literature of the binding-loosing imagery. Of the several meanings given there to the metaphor, two are of special importance here: the giving of authoritative teaching, and the lifting or imposing of the ban of excommunication. It is disputed whether the image of the keys and that of binding and loosing are different metaphors meaning the same thing. In any case, the promise of the keys is given to Peter alone. In Mt 18:18 all the disciples are given the power of binding and loosing, but the context of that verse suggests that there the power of excommunication alone is intended. That the keys are those to the kingdom of heaven and that Peter’s exercise of authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven show an intimate connection between, but not an identification of, the church and the kingdom of heaven (http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16)
Reference:
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
Websites: http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/origins-of-peter-as-pope
