Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philip’pi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli’jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
–Matthew 16:13-20
“…you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven….”
When Jesus said this,
did He envision His apostles establishing the mortal structure of His church based upon the then current confederative Jewish model of priests-theologian scholars-teachers-elders (leaders of the laity)
or did he envision His church being structured pyramidally on the Roman model used to govern the civil and military affairs of the Roman Empire, that is, with one dictatorial leader (advised by a council) ?
AnglicanFirst –
It’s arguable that your two options are not mutually exclusive: the first lists functions, the second addresses governance. Effective organizations have both.
For my money, I see Jesus establishing a church founded on relationships not unlike the master-disciple relationships he had with the 12. Mature Christians mentor the new-born, whether converts or their own children. In any case, we err when we look first at the Church as institution or organization: what is happening in this passage? There’s a confession of faith, the man who made it is acknowledged, and Jesus passes on the very heart of his mission, which is the opening of heaven to humankind. The key is the interaction of master to disciple, who has now taken a step toward maturity and a place within the master’s mission.