What would you do with the keys to the kingdom?
In our reading from Isaiah this Sunday, Eliakim, son of
Hilkiah, is master of the palace; as such, he has access to the storerooms,
from which he administers grain, and also to the king’s treasury. But when God places the key of David upon his shoulder, Eliakim’s most significant role
becomes his control over access to the king himself, and through him, to God;
his duty is to facilitate access to those in need. It is a huge responsibility…
We hear echoes of this notion of access in our gospel
reading from Matthew as well, when Jesus – the Key of David incarnate – gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, telling him, Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven… Why entrust these keys to
Peter? They are a gift, as is the
revelation to Peter that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of the living God.
Because of his very openness, Peter can be seen as a stable basis upon
which to build a church, a foundation capable of giving people access to
God. Peter understands that God is at
work in his life, and proclaims the Good News; he is thus an open conduit
through whom others may find access to God.
It is not up to Peter to understand the gift – Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments, Paul
tells the Romans. It’s not up to Peter
to seek power in some hierarchy, either; it’s about his willingness to grow
toward the depth of meaning Paul is
suggesting, toward the unfathomable depth
of God’s love for him, expressed in God’s kindness and truth (Psalm 138).
From that place of eternal love,
Peter can be rock, strength,
foundation… like Eliakim, a peg in a sure
spot, the consummate source of stability through whom access to God is open
and reliable.
We, too, have been entrusted with the key -- we, the Church, must provide access to God, and to salvation, to all who seek it. And so perhaps we must each ask ourselves, what are we doing with the keys to the kingdom? Are we a solid foundation, grounded in the eternal and boundless depths of God’s love, providing access to that love for all?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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