Matthew Henry Commentary Matthew 16:13-20

"Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? And they said, Some [say] John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Christ." — Matthew 16:13-20 (ASV)

Peter, speaking for himself and his brothers, said that they were assured that our Lord was the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that they believed Jesus to be more than human. Our Lord declared Peter to be blessed, because the teaching of God distinguished him from his unbelieving countrymen. Christ added that he had named him Peter, referring to his stability or firmness in professing the truth.

The word translated "rock" is not the same word as Peter, but it has a similar meaning. Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant that the person of Peter was the rock. Without doubt, Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church; and woe to anyone who attempts to lay any other! Peter's confession is this rock regarding doctrine.

If Jesus is not the Christ, those who acknowledge him are not of the church, but are deceivers and deceived. Our Lord next declared the authority with which Peter would be invested. He spoke in the name of his brothers, and this applied to them as well as to him. They did not have certain knowledge of people's characters and were liable to mistakes and sins in their own conduct; but they were kept from error in stating the way of acceptance and salvation, the rule of obedience, the believer's character and experience, and the final doom of unbelievers and hypocrites.

In such matters their decision was right, and it was confirmed in heaven. But all pretensions of any person, either to absolve or retain people's sins, are blasphemous and absurd. No one can forgive sins but God alone. And this binding and loosing, in the common language of the Jews, signified to forbid and to allow, or to teach what is lawful or unlawful.