Matthew 7:13-14 - Jesus taught that there are two paths in life: a wide road that is easy to travel but leads to destruction, and a narrow road that is harder to follow but leads to life. The narrow path is walking in Jesus’ ways and teachings, which may be challenging but leads to true and lasting life.

Matthew 7:1-5 - Jesus taught his followers not to judge others or they would be judged by the same standard. They should focus on removing the plank in their own eyes before pointing out the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eyes, meaning that we should never judge others because we ourselves are not perfect. 

Matthew 6:25-34 - Jesus teaches his followers not to worry about daily needs like food or clothing, because life is more than these things and God knows what we need. He points to the birds, who do not plant or store food yet are fed by God, and to the flowers, which are beautifully clothed though they last only a short time. Instead of being anxious, we are to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, trusting that our needs will be provided for.

Matthew 6:19-24 - Jesus taught his followers to invest in treasures in heaven which last forever, rather than in earthly treasures which can be destroyed or lost. What we treasure shapes our heart. He also explained that healthy eyes (focused on the things of God) fill our lives with light, but eyes clouded by greed or worldly desires fill us with darkness. He concluded that we cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:1-4 - Jesus taught his followers not to do good deeds just to be noticed by others. When giving to those in need, they shouldn’t show off what they’re doing or loudly announce it for everyone to see and hear. If they do this, then the praise of others will be their only reward. Instead, Jesus taught them to give quietly and privately, because God sees what is done in secret and will reward it.

Matthew 5:38-42 - Jesus taught that while the Law of Moses called for justice through the principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” his followers are called to a higher standard of non-violence and radical grace. Instead of retaliating against those who wrong them, they should turn the other cheek, give more than what is asked, and go the extra mile when compelled to do so. He also urged his followers to be generous to those who ask and a willingness to lend without refusal.

Matthew 5:33-37 - Jesus taught that while the Law told people not to break their promises and to keep their oaths, he gave an even deeper teaching: don’t make oaths at all. Don’t swear by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, or even by your own head. Instead, Jesus says we should be people of honesty. If you say “yes,” mean yes. If you say “no,” mean no. We don’t need to make big promises—we just need to speak the truth.

Matthew 5:13-16 - During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that his followers are the salt of the earth, meant to preserve and enhance the world. He also said that they are the light of the world: a lamp is not hidden under a bowl but placed on a stand to give light to everyone in the house. In the same way, we are called to let our light shine, so that others may see our good works and be drawn to God’s goodness.

Matthew 18:1-4 - When asked by his disciples who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus called a little child to him and told them that in order to enter the kingdom, they must become like a little child. Furthermore, anyone who wishes to be great in the kingdom should take on the lowly position of a child.

Matthew 16:13-20 - One day, Jesus asked his disciples to tell him who people say that he is. They answered that some say he is John the Baptist, others say that he is Elijah, and still others say that he is Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus then asks who they think he is, and Peter responds that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus blesses Peter for this answer, because he learned it from God and not from people, and then gives him the “keys” to the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 26:47-56 - After Jesus spent the night praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs to take Jesus under arrest. Judas walked over to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss. This was the signal that he used to show the people who to arrest. When the men stepped forward to arrest Jesus, Peter took our his sword and struck the servant of the high priest in the ear. Jesus instructed Peter to put his sword away and spoke to the crowd saying that he is not leading a rebellion and that there was no need for them to come at him swords and clubs. After this, Jesus is taken under arrest and the disciples run away in fear.

Matthew 26:36-46 - Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus asked them to sit nearby while he prayed. He took Peter, James, and John and asked them to stay with him because he was overwhelmed with sorrow. He prayed to God to take away the cup of suffering away from him, but only as God wills. Returning to his friends, he saw that they had fallen asleep. He asked if they could stay up with him for just one hour. He continued to pray and then a second time found his friends sleeping. After the third time, he told them to get up because the time had come for him to be betrayed.

Matthew 26:17-28 - Jesus and his disciples came together to celebrate a meal during the Passover Festival. During this meal, Jesus announced at the table that one of them was going to betray him. The group of disciples were very sad and one at a time said to Jesus, “Surely you don’t mean me?” When it came to Judas, Jesus replied, “You have said so.” Then Jesus took break, broke it, and gave it to his disciples to eat, saying that it is his body. He did the same with a cup of wine, which he said is his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 16:21-26 - Jesus explains to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, where he will suffer many things before being killed and on the third day raising back to life again. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him, saying that this would never happen to him. Jesus responds by calling Peter a stumbling block to him, and that Peter has in mind human concerns rather than God’s concerns. Jesus goes on to explain to his disciples they too must deny themselves and take up their own crosses in order to follow him, but that in being willing to lose their life for his sake, they will in fact find it.

Matthew 15:1-20 - Once Jesus was approached by some Pharisees and religious teachers, who accused his followers of breaking the traditions of the elders by not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus turned the accusation around on them, saying that they were the ones who were breaking the commands of God in order to uphold their traditions and human rules. Jesus cites the example of those who dismiss God’s command to honor one’s parents in order to devote to God that which would have been used to help their parents. Jesus concludes by saying that a person is not defiled by eating with unwashed hands but by the wicked thoughts that come from inside their hearts.

Matthew 16:5-12 - One day Jesus was crossing a lake with his disciples, and they had forgotten to take bread with them. Jesus said to them, “be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” The disciples didn’t understand what he meant at first and thought he was talking about bread. Jesus corrected them and said that he was actually talking about teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees which spread like yeast, and which they must be careful about.

Matthew 17:24-27 - Once when Jesus and his disciples were traveling in Capernaum, the temple tax collectors came up to Peter and tried to ask him a trick question, whether Jesus paid temple taxes or not. Peter said that he does, and went to Jesus to tell him what happened. While Jesus stated that it wasn’t right to make the children of God pay taxes to the temple, he told Peter to go and catch a fish and look inside its mouth. When Peter did this, he found two coins inside, just enough to pay for his and Jesus’ temple tax.

Matthew 20:1-16 - There was a man who owned a vineyard and he went out in the town to search for workers for the day. Early in the morning he found a group of people who agreed to work for one denarius. Throughout the day he found more workers to join the first group. At the very end of the day, he gathered them together to give them their pay, beginning with the last ones hired and on to the first. He paid each one the same amount — one denarius each. The workers who had been their since early morning felt that this was unfair and they complained. The owner responded that they had been paid the amount agreed upon, and that he was simply choosing to be generous to the others too. In this way, Jesus taught that in the Kingdom of God, the last would be first and the first would be last.

Matthew 18:21-35 - When Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive someone who wrongs him seven times, Jesus answers that he should not forgive only seven times, but seventy-seven. Jesus then tells a story about a servant who owed the king a large sum of money. When the servant was unable to pay the king back and begged for extra time, the king took pity on him and completely forgave the servant’s debt. However, the servant immediately went and found a fellow servant who owed him a smaller amount of money, and demanded payment. When that servant couldn’t pay and begged for extra time, the first servant did not take pity on him but threw his fellow servant in jail until he could pay back what he owed. When the king heard of this he was indignant. He called the first servant to him, and told him that he had changed his mind and would throw the servant in jail until he could pay back everything he owed.

Matthew 21:28-32 - Jesus told this story to the chief priests and elders who were questioning him on his authority. He said to them, there was a man who had two sons, each of whom he asked to go and work in the vineyard. The first son said no, but ended up changing his mind and going. The second son said yes, but he didn’t go. Jesus asked the chief priests and enders which son did what the father wanted, to which they answered, the first son. Jesus then reveals the meaning of the parable: that those considered “sinners” were actually entering the kingdom of God ahead of the religious folk, because when they heard Jesus’ message they repented and believed.