16:19 By telling Peter that He would give him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, did Jesus give Peter precedence in authority over the other disciples, as some teach?

(cp V13-19) Peter had no precedence at all over the other disciples in authority, only in time – he was the first to confess his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. They were all equal in authority, as scriptures clearly teach (cp Mt 20:20-28; Mk 10:35-45; Lk 22:24-27). On the ground of his confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Lord simply designated Peter as the first one to open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven – to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (cp Ac 2:14-41). And later to the Gentiles through the salvation of Cornelius and all his house (cp Ac 10:1-8, 21-48).

The keys are metaphorical – they represent the ministry of the word by which the Kingdom of Heaven is unlocked for all who hear the word and wish to enter in. Every believer in Christ has been given the keys of the kingdom. They have all been delegated to minister God’s word and empowered to bind and loose, the same as Peter (cp Mt 18:18-20; Jn 20:21-23; 2Cor 5:17-19).

Many Christians believe that the believer’s authority to bind and loose in Mt 16:19 and 18:18 extends only to church discipline and remitting or retaining sins (cp Mt 18:15-18; 1Cor 5:1-7 with Jn 20:21-23). The word whatsoever however is all-inclusive and encompasses every facet of ministry – not only church discipline and remitting or retaining sins, but also raising the dead; healing the sick; walking on water; stilling storms; making the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak and the lame to walk; casting out demons; taking up serpents, etc.

In this charge to the church Jesus is authorizing believers to activate everything He has made provision for in His life, death and resurrection (cp Mt 17:20; 21:22; Mk 11:22-24; 16:17; Jn 14:12-14; 15:7, 16; 16:20-23; Ac 1:8). The word again in Mt 18:19 means once more, pointing to a repeat of the believer’s authority in V18 but expressing it in another form, which is that if any two believers agree in prayer for anything at all, God will do it for them (cpV19).

Anything in this context means essentially the same as whatsoever in its context - it is also all-inclusive. We have Christ’s assurance that it will come to pass because where two or three believers gather together to fulfill Christ’s purpose for the church He is in their midst. It goes without saying though that both whatever and anything must always be in accordance with scripture (cp 1Jn 5:14-15).

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