There are two verses in the book of Matthew, where a serious misinterpretation of the meaning of the verses has permeated the modern church and the prayer lives of many.
The verses in question are Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18:
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." (16:19)
"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." (18:18)
Firstly the Matthew 16 passage.
Context
In order to understand the meaning here, we actually need to begin reading from verse 13: "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ." (vv13-20)
Just a side note here: many people assume that Jesus here was talking about building the church upon Peter himself, thus making him the first "pope" of the church. This is actually a misunderstanding from misleading translation from the Greek.
The name Peter in Greek is Petros, which means rock or stone. However, when Jesus referred the rock upon which the church was being built he used the word Petra which means bedrock, or foundation. Jesus therefore was not referring to Peter as the rock upon which He was going to build the church, but rather the foundational words of what Peter said, that being his testimony of who Jesus is. This foundation is so secure that no matter what opposition the church faces, nothing will prevail against it, not even the gates of hell.
But then Jesus continues by saying that He will give the keys of the Kingdom to Peter. Now, as I am sure you are aware, there is no story anywhere in the Bible of Jesus physically giving Peter a bunch of keys that will open the gates of heaven. This is a fable that has crept into the church over the years, but it has no Biblical basis whatsoever. It may make good jokes, but it is not true.
What then are the keys that Jesus is talking about? Quite simply He is using symbolic language to refer to the knowledge that Peter and the other Apostles would receive on how to enter the Kingdom. In fact, in Luke 11:52 Peter criticised the teachers of the Law for taking away the keys of the Kingdom from the people, and even did not dare to enter themselves. Again, no physical keys to heaven were ever given to the men in the Old Testament, but they were given the knowledge.
That knowledge is the truths of the Gospel as already declared by Peter verse 16. It is only through that knowledge that people will be able to enter the Kingdom.
Then comes the verse in question that has been misapplied in the modern church.
Misapplication
I am sure you have heard people pray words like, "I bind the spirit of oppression," or "Satan, I bind you" during times of public prayer. It is especially rampant in the charismatic church. Though this may sound spiritual, and when you read the next verse it sounds Biblical, but is this what the verse is talking about?
Well, looking at the context of the verse one cannot help but question, if this is talking about binding spirits or the devil in our prayer life, how come Jesus does not give it as an instruction? It seems out of place for what has just preceded it. That is because it is.
This verse has absolutely nothing to do with binding and loosing demons or spirits in ones life. In fact, it is talking more about the church than it is our individual lives.
Binding
In Deuteronomy 6:8 we read that the people were to bind God's laws as a sing onto their arms and foreheads. This they interpreted literally and developed little boxes called phylacteries. In these boxes were contained the words of the law known as the Sh'ma Israel. These boxes were bound using leather straps onto the foreheads and arms of the Jewish boys and men when they went to pray.
The key here is what was contained in those words. Take a look at the beginning of the Sh'ma: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
These very words contained the knowledge that the people of Israel needed to have that would protect them. It was what made them unique as God's people and set them apart from all other nations. These very words are still spoken and read today by millions of Jews across the world, but the truth of that knowledge seems to be hidden from them. They have lost the "keys."
With that picture in mind, let us go back to the Matthew 16 passage. What the church binds, that is the knowledge that belongs to God that allows one access into the Kingdom, will already have been bound in heaven (see the wording in verse 19 again - "shall have been bound in heaven". It is something that has been established by God already in heaven and the church's function therefore is to stand in agreement with God's law.
On the other hand, that which is loosed is referring to those things that do not form part of God's law and are not to be written onto our hearts or defining our lives. The church therefore is standing in agreement with what God has already determined does not belong to His Kingdom and is to point it out to others so that they too will not practice or follow those things.
Quite clearly these verses have nothing to do with how we are to pray.
Matthew 18
This then leads us to the verse in Matthew 18 which seems to sound similar.
Let's read it in context:
"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.""
The first paragraph is dealing with discipline in the church. When a person sins, there is a manner in which it has to be dealt with. The second and short paragraph at first glance then seems to deal with prayer, which people then seem to tie in with our verse in question by saying that it too is referring to how one prays. However, from the context as a whole, I do not believe that this is specifically referring to prayer, and certainly not binding and loosing in prayer.
The context here is clearly the coming together of the church. The phrase "where two or three have gathered" was a term used at the time to refer to any gathering, and also seems to have been said in opposition to the Jewish thinking that it required ten men to come together to constitute a religious service. Jesus was saying that it did not require ten men to gather for Him to be present for it to be classified as a worship service, but that only two were necessary.
Therefore, given this context, it changes the meaning of verse 18 from how to bind and loose in prayer to a meaning similar to that found in Matthew 16. Referring to the brother who has sinned and been brought before the church, should he not respond in accordance with the Word, he is to be excommunicated. In effect, he is no longer bound to the church because he has not complied with the laws to which the church has bound itself. The laws of God. This person has therefore rejected the true knowledge that comes from God and will not have a place in heaven.
I agree wholeheartedly with what Barnes says in his commentary regarding this passage: "Again I say unto you, That if two of you ... - This is connected with the previous verses. The connection is this: The obstinate man is to be excluded from the church, Matthew 18:17. The care of the church - the power of admitting or excluding members - of organizing and establishing it - is committed to you, the apostles, Matthew 18:18. Yet there is not need of the whole to give validity to the transaction. When two of you agree, or have the same mind, feelings, and opinion, about the arrangement of affairs in the church, or about things desired for its welfare, and shall ask of God, it shall be done for them. See Acts 1:14-26; Acts 15:1-29. The promise here has respect to the apostles in organizing the church. It cannot with any propriety be applied to the ordinary prayers of believers. Other promises are made to them, and it is true that the prayer of faith will be answered, but that is not the truth taught here. "
Conclusion
Dearly beloved, I urge you, if you are in the habit of praying prayers of binding and loosing as a result of misinterpretation of these verses, please cease from doing so. They are not prayers that are encouraged, and if anything, we are told to ask things of God, and not take matters into our own hands.
As Paul tells us in Philippians: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (4:6-7)
Let us learn to trust God more and allow Him to work the miracles in our lives. After all, He is the one who is victorious against the enemy, not us. We are just the fortunate ones who benefit.
Baruch atem b’Shem Yeshua! (Blessings in the name of Jesus!)
GW
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