[Iscool]

It's the Catholic position that this is precisely what Jesus does in Matthew 16:18-19. Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, which means, among other things, acknowledging his kingship. Christ then shows his kingly authority by bestowing on Peter something only the king could give--the keys of the kingdom of heaven--thus making Peter the messianic equivalent of Eliakim.

They were all given the keys...The binding/losing...remitting/retaining...

[BipolarBob]

To know how many had keys, first determine how many gates there are.

[smvoice]

Peter and the 11 all had the God-given authority to retain/remit sins. They could let in or keep out people of the Kingdom, all by God’s authority. The only one who did NOT have any keys was Paul. Imagine that...no keys to the Body of Christ...And people want to believe that Peter, the eleven, and Paul all preached the same message...

[imardmd1]

GonzoII: Christ then shows his kingly authority by bestowing on Peter something only the king could give--the keys of the kingdom of heaven--thus making Peter the messianic equivalent of Eliakim

Iscool: They were all given the keys...The binding/losing...remitting/retaining..

OK, let's ask some questions:

(1) What is "the keys" to the kingdom of the heavens

(2) What form does "the keys" take; is it a literal phrase, or is it a figurative-literal phrase?

(3) Is "the kingdom of heaven" temporal or eternal?

(4) If "keys" open something, whast is it that one or more open?

(5) Did Jesus later on (future tense) give only Simon these "keys," or were they to be given to others beside Simon?

(6) When were these "keys" actually placed under Simon's control?

(7) Is the kingdom "of the heavens" (genitive, plural, masculine, articular construction) (only mentioned in Matthew) the same sphere as "The Kingdom of The God"?

(8) Who are the subjects in these kingdoms, and how did they get there?

(9) "Keys" is plural. Is one of them the key of the house of David?

(10 What is/are these keys?

(11) Is one the key of knowledge? (Lk. 11:2)

(12) How did Jesus open His disciples' understanding? With a can opener? (Lk. 24:45)

Well, there's an even dozen of questions that ought to be answered before making any claims as to what Jesus was telling or later intended to impart to Simon the Denier. What do you think?