Binding and Loosing: Language of a Revolutionary

by Mike Chong Perkinson

Jesus told Peter, after he made the great confession that “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)

Jesus seems to be giving Peter the keys of authority that will invade the dimensions of planet Earth. What did Jesus mean? What is the authority that has been granted to Peter? Are we able to simply bind and lose whatever we desire? Can we simply decide to start a spiritual revolution and loose it on earth? From a quick literal reading it would appear such is the case.

Whatever camp you find yourself in determines your interpretive possibilities. For the conservative Evangelical the power of binding and loosing can only be based in the written Word of God. For the Pentecostal, the power of binding and loosing is based in the authority of Jesus granted in the presence of the Holy Spirit who empowers every believer to live out this authority. For the Catholic, this power has been given through a long succession of Popes, beginning with Peter, that speak as the living words of authority, preserving the tradition and life of the Church.

Ok, enough of the exegetical possibilities. What in the world did the text mean? And how does it apply to a revolutionary?

I find it fascinating that the once the words have been spoken by Jesus, He immediately instructs the disciples to tell no that He is the Christ and explains how He will go to Jerusalem and die and on the third day be raised from the dead.

What intrigues me further about this text is Peter’s response to Jesus going to Jerusalem and dying. The first thing that Peter tries to bind is Jesus, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Matthew 16:22)

Jesus swiftly rebukes him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23)

I wonder how much of an issue this really is. We, well meaning sons and daughters of Adam, in our attempt to move out in the authority of Jesus, often end up binding and loosing the wrong things. How Hell must laugh.

Another text adds to our understanding, which reads, “Why could we not cast it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:28-29,)

In the account, the disciples were not able to cast out the demon (Mark 9:18) and were perplexed as the text indicates. The disciples had to learn that their previous success in expelling demons (Mark 6:7) provided no guarantee of continued power. Rather the power of God must be asked for on each occasion in radical reliance upon the Spirit of God. This power must be asked for afresh in prayer. Our reliance is not on a principle but a person that we commune with daily. As Jesus said, the Son only does what He sees the Father doing (John 5:19).

To trust God’s power in the sense that we have it in our control and at our disposal is tantamount to unbelief; for it is really to trust in ourselves instead of in God. Faith is a radical reliance upon the Person of Christ not just the propositions about Him. I can control a proposition or principle and implement it as I see fit. I can’t control Christ and use Him as I see fit. Faith in Christ requires a relationship, trust, on-going dialogue (prayer), and a daily surrender to His heart and will for my life.

And what does this have to do with a revolutionary? Simply this, we believe God is in the midst of something profound in our land. A spiritual wave of hope and life is swelling in the distant horizon and the saints are finding themselves stirred within to ride this wave of life and societal transformation that will release the healing and saving power of the Kingdom. It is within this framework of the in-breaking of His Kingdom that we have the power to bind and loose.

So how do we bind and loose and facilitate this revolution? The first key in a spiritual awakening or revolution is not so much what we choose to do in the name of Jesus but our surrender to the Ultimate Revolutionary, our obedience to His voice in our daily lives, our willingness to live within the confines of His Kingdom authority; and our passionate aim to see His Kingdom extended so that all might come to know the restoration of life His Kingdom brings (this is about salvation of souls but includes so much more).

And so, it is not so much about what we bind our loose or the power that has been granted us to exercise demons and remove the darkness in our land. His authority has been released in us (Matthew 28:18-20), that is not the issue. The issue is our on-going dialogue (prayer) with the Ultimate Revolutionary so that we move when He moves and we bind what He has bound and we loose what He has loosed.

The prophet Micah encapsulates this for us as he declares, “He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head.” (2:13) The King has come. His Kingdom is here. The revolution has begun. May we have ears to hear what He is saying and eyes to see what He is doing!