The pinnacle of the Gospel story may be Jesus’ dramatic statement, “You are Petros and on this petra I will build my Church.” The saying seems to contain an obvious Greek wordplay, indicating that Jesus spoke in Greek. However, it is possible that “Petros…petra” is a Hebrew wordplay.
“Binding” and “Loosing” in the Kingdom of Heaven
Jewish sages were called upon constantly by their community to interpret scriptural commands. They “bound,” or prohibited, certain activities, and “loosed,” or allowed, others.