LOLSaints

I was only kidding!

Jesus said to St. Peter:

"To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth is also bound in heaven. Whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven."

A direct reference to the keys and their function is found in the book of Isaiah, in the 22nd chapter. Here is the story of Eliakim, a man who serves as a type of the Apostle Peter. In the chapter a man named Shebna is deposed as chief steward of the king. In reading we learn the chief stewards job description. His function was namely this: to reside “over the house” of the king, ruling in his place when the king was absent. Additionally, the position of steward was an established royal office; it was to have successors. In the chapter an unfaithful Shebna is removed from office and replaced by the faithful Eliakim.

Even though the passages regarding the keys are sparse in scripture they are deep in meaning and directly support the office of the papacy.

For those who would like to explore this I highly recommend Jesus, Peter & the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren and David Hess.