A symbolic description of the authority that Jesus gave to Peter. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus tells Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
In ancient times, many cultures believed that gates to heaven and the underworld were controlled by beings with keys. For instance, in Greek mythology, Pluto had the key to the underworld. Jewish writings often assigned the key to God. In the book of Revelation, Jesus holds the keys to death and the underworld (Revelation 1:18; see 3:7).
In the Gospel of Matthew, the keys represent the authority to manage entry into the kingdom of heaven. After Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus gives him the authority to “bind” and “loose” (Matthew 16:16, 19). This authority is later shared with all the disciples (Matthew 18:18). The terms “bind” and “loose” were used by rabbis to describe declaring someone under a ban or freeing them from it. This could mean expulsion or reinstatement in a synagogue or determining someone's judgment by God.
Jesus’s “power of the keys” is about spiritual authority. It is similar to the authority Jesus gives in John John 20:23: “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
The Pharisees and scribes thought they had the power to deny others entry into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 23:13). However, they missed the truth that Peter recognized—that Jesus is the true way to God’s kingdom. The keys symbolize the authority to declare judgment and offer forgiveness, not by human power, but based on Christ’s teachings.