PRIMACY OF PETER

Jesus gave Peter a primacy over the other apostles: it was the apostle Peter who received a special revelation from God the Father (Matthew 16:15-17), and Jesus gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19). The keys given to Peter are an entrustment of authority and temporal government of the Church. In Mark 13:34 we read: “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.” The “house” symbolically represents the Church. The master of the house is Jesus. The servants are the bishops and priests. The doorman is Peter, and his legitimate successors, the bishops of Rome. Since it was in Rome that the apostle established his episcopal see as the center of government of the whole Church. Peter was entrusted with the keys, and his legitimate successors. In the ancient East whoever obtained the keys to the house as a doorman or butler could govern that house in the absence of the master. It was the case of Joseph son of Jacob, who became the steward of the pharaoh, became governor of Egypt: “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:40) In Luke 12:42-43 we read: “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.” The Lord is Jesus. The servants are the bishops and priests. The administrator placed at the head of the servants is Peter, and his legitimate successors. In the circle of the twelve, Peter is always mentioned in the first place (Matthew 17:1; 26,37; Mark 3:16; 5:37; 9:2; 13:3; 14:33; Luke 6:14; 8:51; 9:28; 22:8; John 20:2-3; 21:2; Acts 1:13; 3:1-3), even with the qualifier of “First” (Matthew 10:2), reference to his primacy over the other apostles. Sometimes Scripture mentions only Peter by name, while the other apostles are mentioned as “his companions” (Mark 16:7; Luke 9:32). Jesus gave Peter the authority to confirm his brothers in the faith (Luke 22:31-32), and he always commands him to feed lambs and sheep (John 21:15-17). The lambs are the peoples, while the sheep – mothers for the lambs (Isaiah 40:11) – are the bishops, who generate the peoples in Christ. Returning to the Father, Jesus entrusts his sheep to the custody and care of Peter, without however renouncing the ownership over them (John 10:11.14.29; 17:6.12). Already in the Old Testament YaHWeH, supreme shepherd of Israel (Deuteronomy 27:9; Isaiah 40:1.11; Jeremiah 31:10), entrusts his flock to the care of those he had chosen (2 Samuel 7:7; Psalms 78:70-72; Ezekiel 34:10). Paul also recognizes the primacy conferred on Peter, and in fact, having returned from his retreat in Arabia, he immediately went to Jerusalem to consult Peter (Galatians 1:18), whom he almost always calls “Cephas”, that is, “rock”, “stone” (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 15:5; Galatians 1:18; 2:9.11.14). Jesus paid the temple tax only for him and for Peter (Matthew 17:24-27). When he was near the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus saw two boats and decided to get on Peter’s to teach the crowds (Luke 5:1-3). Jesus washed Peter’s feet first (John 13:16). When Peter and John ran to the tomb, the latter arrived first, but did not enter, he waited for Peter to enter first, then he too entered (John 20:4-8). When Peter said, “I go fishing,” the other apostles wanted to follow him (John 21:3). It was Peter who took over the direction of the Upper Room, among about one hundred and twenty brothers, proposing the election of a new apostle (Acts 1:15-22). It was Peter who spoke, on the day of Pentecost, on behalf of all the other apostles (Acts 2:14-36), and it was he who performed the first miracle to confirm the faith (Acts 3:1-11). It was Peter who received from God the vision of a great tablecloth coming down from heaven, filled with quadrupeds and reptiles of all kinds of the earth and birds of the sky, which means that not only Jews but also pagans must be welcomed into the Church (Acts 10-11).