|
pope
(chief bishop, successor to Peter) related
links Note: The
Vicar of Christ, the pope, is the direct successor to Peter, who
was entrusted with the keys to Jesus' Church. This
succession can be traced directly from the present Roman
Catholic pope all the way back to Peter, the first pope. The
passages contained herein are a sampling of relevant passages and
not a complete history of Peter's activities (most include
explanatory notes). |
Note: The following passage may be
considered a foreshadowing of Jesus' giving Peter the keys to the
kingdom: On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of
Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your
sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will
place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he
opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will
fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his
family; On him shall hang all the glory of his family: descendants
and offspring, all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs. [Taken from ISA 22:20-24]
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
[MT 10:2-4] [Note: Peter is frequently
mentioned first among the apostles (a place of prominence), while
Judas Iscariot is often mentioned last.]
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea
Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the
Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the
Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I
am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has
not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to
you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will
give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven." [MT 16:13-19]
When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
[MK 4:37-38] [Note: During Jesus' agony, he found all three of
his apostles asleep, but only questions and instructs Peter.]
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were
utterly amazed. He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek
Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not
here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his
disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you
will see him, as he told you.'" [MK 16:5-7] [Note: The
angel mentions only Peter - their leader - by name.]
And they reported all
the instructions briefly to Peter's companions. Afterwards Jesus
himself, through them, sent forth from east to west the sacred and
imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen. [Taken from
MK 16:20] [Note: The disciples are mentioned only as
"Peter's companions" in this passage, indicating Peter's
relative position.]
[Jesus said,] "But that we may not offend
them...you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that
to them for me and for you." [Taken from MT 17:27] [Note:
Jesus miraculously provides the funds for the tax for both himself
and Peter (only).]
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be
afraid; from now on you will be catching men." [Taken from LK 5:10]
[Note: In this passage, the author has Jesus
directing this line to Peter alone even though others are around.]
A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he
entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. Now there was
a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the
house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his
feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed
them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who
had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man
were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is
who is touching him, that she is a sinner." Jesus said to him
in reply, "Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two people were in
debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages and
the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he
forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?" Simon
said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was
forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged
rightly." [LK 7:36-43] [Note: Jesus singles out only Peter
for certain discourses.]
About eight days after he said this, he took
Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he
was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became
dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him,
Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his
companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were
about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is
good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one
for Moses, and one for Elijah." But he did not know what he
was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a
shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the
cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is
my chosen Son; listen to him." After the voice had spoken,
Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
[LK 9:28-36] [Note: Although three apostles were present, they
are collectively referred to as "Peter and his
companions" in LK 9:32. Also note that Peter is the
only apostle to speak (he often speaks for all the apostles in Scripture).]
After this the Lord appointed seventy (-two)
others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place
he intended to visit. "Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and
greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first
say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one
house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' Whatever town you enter
and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 'The
dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off
against you.' Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell
you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that
town... Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." [Taken
from LK 10:1,4-12,16] [Note: Although this passage does not
specifically refer to Peter, it illustrates the fact that Jesus
does grant authority to His disciples to speak and act for Him and
that those who reject His authorized representatives reject Him.
Jesus tells us through various other passages that Peter is His highest
authorized representative.]
"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,
but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers."
[LK 22:31-32] [Note: Jesus charges Peter (also called Simon)
with strengthening the faith of the other Apostles. This is clearly
indicative of a leadership position.]
Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at
him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be
called Kephas" (which is translated Peter). [JN 1:42] [Note:
A name change given by the Lord himself is very significant, such
as it was when God renamed Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel in
the Old Testament. Also note that Kepha is Aramaic (the language
that Jesus spoke) for "rock", and Jesus later says to
Peter that "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against
it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever
you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (See MT 16:18-19).]
"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."
[JN 13:20] [Note: Although this passage does not specifically
target Peter, it illustrates the fact that Jesus does grant
authority to others to act for Him and that those who receive His
authorized representatives receive Him. Jesus tells us through
various other passages that Peter is His highest authorized representative.]
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala
came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to
Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told
them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't
know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple
went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other
disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he
bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When
Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the
burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not
with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the
other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb
first, and he saw and believed. [JN 20:1-8] [Note: Notice how
the other disciple waited until after Peter went in before
entering the tomb.]
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than
these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said
to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love
me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to
him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love
me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third
time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord,
you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said
to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you
were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and
someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to
go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would
glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him,
"Follow me." [JN 21:15-19] [Note: Once again, Jesus
indicates that he has chosen Peter to tend to his flock (the
Church).]
During those days Peter stood up in the midst of
the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty
persons in the one place). He said, "My brothers, the
scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke
beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was
the guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry. He bought a parcel of
land with the wages of his iniquity... This became known to
everyone who lived in Jerusalem, so that the parcel of land was
called in their language 'Akeldama,' that is, Field of Blood. For
it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'Let his encampment become
desolate, and may no one dwell in it.' And: 'May another take his
office.' Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who
accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among
us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he
was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his
resurrection." [Taken from ACTS 1:15-22] [Note: Right from
the very beginning, Peter is shown to be taking charge of the Church. This passage also indicates that succession is to be
expected (such will be required upon the death of Peter).]
They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, "What does this mean?" But others said, scoffing, "They have had too much new wine."
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words."
[ACTS 2:12-14] [Note: Once again, Peter is shown to be
taking charge of the Church.]
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the
heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are
we to do, my brothers?" Peter (said) to them, "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will
call." He testified with many other arguments, and was
exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day. [ACTS
2:37-41] [Note: This passage shows primacy as Peter is singled out for mention, while the rest are simply referred to as
"the other apostles". Further, Peter - alone - is
specified as the one testifying and exhorting.]
On the next day, their leaders, elders, and
scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly
class. They brought them into their presence and questioned them,
"By what power or by what name have you done this?" Then
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, "Leaders
of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a
good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it
was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before
you healed. He is 'the stone rejected by you, the builders, which
has become the cornerstone.' There is no salvation through anyone
else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human
race by which we are to be saved." [ACTS 4:5-12] [Note:
Again, Peter is shown exclusively speaking for the apostles.]
Many signs and wonders were done among the
people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in
Solomon's portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the
people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord,
great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even
carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and
mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on
one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in
the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and
those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. [ACTS
5:12-16] [Note: Even with regard to great
healing powers, Peter is singled out by name.]
"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men."
[ACTS 5:28-29] [Note: Once again,
this passage shows primacy as Peter is singled out for mention,
while the rest are simply referred to as "the
apostles".]
Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius,
a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, devout and
God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms
generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. One
afternoon about three o'clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel
of God come in to him and say to him, "Cornelius." He
looked intently at him and, seized with fear, said, "What is
it, sir?" He said to him, "Your prayers and almsgiving
have ascended as a memorial offering before God. Now send some men
to Joppa and summon one Simon who is called Peter." [ACTS 10:1-5] [Note:
The angel instructs the devout man to seek out Peter, a clear
indication of Peter's primacy.]
Some who had come down from Judea were
instructing the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised
according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved."
Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and
Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some
of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and
presbyters about this question. They were sent on their journey by
the church, and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of
the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the
brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by
the church, as well as by the apostles and the presbyters, and
they reported what God had done with them. But some from the party
of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said,
"It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to
observe the Mosaic law." The apostles and the presbyters met
together to see about this matter. After much debate had taken
place, Peter got up and said to them, "My brothers, you are
well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that
through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel
and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by
granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no
distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their
hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing
on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our
ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we
believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in
the same way as they." The whole assembly fell silent, and
they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and
wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. [ACTS
15:1-12] [Note: Again, Peter is shown to be asserting his
primacy among the apostles while resolving this issue.]
Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel
I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also
stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to
the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I
handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that
he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures; that he appeared to Kephas, then to the
Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers
at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen
asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
[1COR 15:1-7] [Note: Paul tells us that the resurrected Jesus
appeared first to Peter (Kephas) before appearing to the other
apostles. Therefore, Peter - the head of Jesus' Church -
would be
the very first apostolic witness to the resurrection of our Lord. Note that
Peter was also chosen by Jesus at the very beginning of His
earthly ministry.]
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to
confer with Kephas and remained with him for fifteen days. [GAL
1:18] [Note: The recently converted Paul went specifically to
consult with Peter (called Kephas), clearly
showing the foremost position of Peter.]
And when Kephas came to Antioch, I opposed him
to his face because he clearly was wrong. For, until some people
came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they
came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was
afraid of the circumcised. And the rest of the Jews (also) acted
hypocritically along with him, with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were
not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel, I said
to Kephas in front of all, "If you, though a Jew, are living
like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles
to live like Jews?" [GAL 2:11-14] [Note: Paul
opposed Kephas (Peter) "to his face" for not living out
his own clear teachings. This does not mean that Paul, who
earlier consulted with Peter before beginning his ministry, was
superior to Peter. On the contrary, this passage shows that Paul
made the "bold move" of confronting the visible head of
the Church for not living up to his own teachings. Further note,
this action of Paul's does not contradict papal infallibility.
Peter's teachings on faith and morals are infallible, but out of
human weaknesses, Peter was not observing his own teachings. Papal infallibility covers only teachings on faith and morals in
certain circumstances - it does not mean that all the pope's
personal actions are infallible.]
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write this: 'The holy one, the true, who holds the key of David, who
opens and no one shall close, who closes and no one shall open,
says this: "I know your works (behold, I have left an
open door before you, which no one can close). You have limited
strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my
name. Behold, I will make those of the assembly of Satan who claim
to be Jews and are not, but are lying, behold I will make them
come and fall prostrate at your feet, and they will realize that I
love you. Because you have kept my message of endurance, I will
keep you safe in the time of trial that is going to come to the
whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming
quickly. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your
crown. The victor I will make into a pillar in the
temple of my God, and he will never leave it again. On him I will
inscribe the name of my God and the name of the city of my God,
the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, as
well as my new name." Whoever has ears ought to hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.'" [RV 3:7-13] [Note:
This passage shows that the keys given to Peter by Jesus remain
with Jesus' Church, which they must since "the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail"
against His Church; that is, the Catholic Church. (See MT
16:18-19) Note that the term
"catholic" means "universal". This term
has been in use from the very early days of Christianity to refer to
the one true Church - the Catholic Church - which can trace its
current pope directly back to Peter, the first pope.]
Also try:
church
[C4]
authority
[A5]
obey
/ obedience [O1]
shepherd
(of people) / sheep (people as) [S14]
Other
resources:
The Pope (Topic Page)
Catholic
Basics
Vatican
View
The
Popes: From St. Peter to Present
Non-Catholics
(apologetics)
Reflections: A-Z
| Categorized
Classic
Encyclicals & Other Papal Documents
(Also
try: Help, A-Z)
more
alphabetical scripture | more
categorized scripture | top
|
