“And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” Matthew 16:19
Jesus must become real to His disciples. He can no longer be the man of the prophecies, certainly not the opinions of the Pharisees and sadducees, or just a man of miraculous deeds. He must become the Son of God, the Messiah, their Savior.
Peter had spent two and a half years working beside Jesus serving others, healing and teaching and finally he understood and confessed that Jesus was the Heir of Heaven. This single truth is the foundation of all Christendom. Peter was not given the power to forgive sins, but through the Holy Spirit he and the other disciples delivered the means. He was the orator on the day of Pentecost, the birth of the church for both Jew and Gentile.
Just like Peter, we must discover Jesus as our own Messiah. We rely so heavily on tradition and what other people say, but just like the twelve disciples, we must diligently seek Biblical truth and the intimate, personal Savior Jesus died to be.
Love,
Gretchen