Matthew 16:1–4 relates an exchange between Jesus Christ and some sign-seeking Pharisees and Sadducees, who came “tempting” the Savior to show them a sign (verse 1). (One meaning of the verb tempt is to try or to test.) In response to their request, Jesus rebuked them for being proud of their ability to recognize the signs of changing weather but failing to recognize God’s signs (see verses 2–3). The Savior also taught that “a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign” (verse 4). When individuals persist in serious sin, one consequence is that they no longer recognize the quiet and gentle whisperings of the Spirit and they demand proof in the form of physical, tangible, or sensational signs.
“Jonah’s burial in and coming forth from the ‘great fish’ (Jonah 1:15–17; 2) symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 711–12).
“The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith [2013], 183–84).
“As the Savior taught Peter about revelation, He used a wordplay on Peter’s name, declaring to Simon [Peter], ‘Thou art Peter [Petros],and upon this rock [petra] I will build my church’ (Matthew 16:18). The Greek word petros means an isolated small rock or stone. The Greek word petra can also mean ‘a stone,’ but in addition it can refer to stony soil, bedrock, or a large mass of rock. From these words we learn that it was not upon Peter as a man that the Church would be built, but upon the bedrock of revelation” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 53).
“The living Lord leads His living Church [see D&C 1:30, 38]! The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet. Yesterday, after we were invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as President of the Church, we also had the privilege to sustain him, the counselors in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. Think of that! We sustain 15 men as prophets of God! They hold all the priesthood keys that have ever been conferred upon man in this dispensation. …
“[President Gordon B. Hinckley explained,] ‘The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, called and ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and responsibility to govern the Church, to administer its ordinances, to expound its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices’ [“God Is at the Helm,” Ensign, May 1994, 54]” (“Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75–76).
“Jesus in His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church. …’ [Matthew 16:18.] What rock? Revelation” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 195).
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon direct revelation, as the true Church of God has ever been, according to the Scriptures (Amos 3:7, and Acts 1:2)” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 195).
“‘Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood [holders] to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth’ [Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 2.1.1]. Every act or ordinance performed in the Church is done under the direct or indirect authorization of one holding the keys for that function” (“The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,”Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 49).
“By focusing only on the Savior’s coming death, Peter failed to understand Jesus Christ’s true mission—the redemption of all mankind. When the Savior rebuked Peter and referred to him as ‘Satan’ [Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33], He was not implying that Peter was Lucifer. The Hebrew word satan means ‘adversary or tempter.’ Thus, Christ recognized that at that moment Peter had put himself in an adversarial role, in opposition to the Savior’s ultimate saving mission.
“Peter probably meant well when he objected to the teaching that Jesus Christ would have to suffer and be killed (see Matthew 16:22; Mark 8:32). However, if Jesus had accommodated Peter’s wishes by avoiding the suffering of the Atonement, there would have been no redemption from sins and no Resurrection conquering death. All mankind would unavoidably have perished (see Alma 34:9), and God’s work of bringing to pass ‘the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39) would not have been fulfilled. All this would have served the destructive aims of Satan. In the moment of his impulsive protest, Peter was unwittingly siding with the adversary” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 122).
“Even before the Savior’s Crucifixion, the image of ‘taking up one’s cross’ (see Mark 8:34) would have been a familiar and perhaps troubling one for the disciples. Crucifixion was a common means of execution in the Roman Empire, and its victims were made to carry their own crossbeams to the place of execution (see John 19:16–17). By using this imagery, the Savior vividly taught His disciples what they must be ready for and called upon them to follow His example by submitting to the will of the Father in their lives” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 122).