Jesus moral ethical teachings according to the Jesus seminar
Informed by the work of the Jesus seminar, this is the total list of ethical sayings attributable to the man Jesus as opposed to his followers or those who made things up long after in any of the Gospels.
Mark 10:21,23-25,45
[21]Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
[23]And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! [24]And the disciples were astonished at his words.
But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
[25]It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
[45]For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mark 12:30-31,39-40,43-44
[30]And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
[31]And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
[39]And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
[40]Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
[43]And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
[44]For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Luke 6:20-21
[20]And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
[21]Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:20-21,27-36,38,43-46
[20]And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
[21]Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
[27]But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
[28]Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
[29]And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
[30]Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
[31]And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
[32]For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
[33]And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
[34]And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
[35]But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
[36]Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
[38]Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
[43]For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
[44]For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
[45]A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
[46]And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 9:58
[58]And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luke 10:29-35
[29]But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
[30]And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
[31]And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
[32]And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
[33]But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
[34]And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
[35]And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Luke 11:2-4
[2]And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
[3]Give us day by day our daily bread.
[4]And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 43-44
[43]Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
[44]Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Luke 12:16-20,22-23,29,33-34
[16]And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
[17]And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
[18]And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
[19]And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
[20]But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
[22]And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
[23]The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
[29]And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
[33]Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
[34]For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 14:11,16-23,26
[11]For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
[16]Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
[17]And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
[18]And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
[19]And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
[20]And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
[21]So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
[22]And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
[23]And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
[26]If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 16:13,16
[13]No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
[16]The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 16:19-26
[19]There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
[20]And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
[21]And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
[22]And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
[23]And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
[24]And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
[25]But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
[26]And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 17:20-21,24,33
[20]And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
[21]Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
[24]For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
[33]Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Luke 18:10-14,16-17,19-20,22,24-25,29-30
[10]Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
[11]The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
[12]I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
[13]And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
[14]I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
[16]But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[17]Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
[19]And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
[20]Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
[22]Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
[24]And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
[25]For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
[29]And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
[30]Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Luke 20:25,46-47
[25]And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
[46]Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
[47]Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
Luke 21:3-4
[3]And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
[4]For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 22:25-27
[25]And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
[26]But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
[27]For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Matthew 5:3-4,6,10-12,22-26,34-37,39-42,44-47
[3]Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4]Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
[6]Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
[10]Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11]Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
[12]Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
[22]But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
[23]Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
[24]Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
[25]Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
[26]Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
[34]But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
[35]Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
[36]Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
[37]But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
[39]But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
[40]And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
[41]And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
[42]Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
[44]But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
[45]That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
[46]For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
[47]And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Matthew 6:3,9-15,24-25
[3]But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
[9]After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
[10]Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
[11]Give us this day our daily bread.
[12]And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[13]And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
[14]For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
[15]But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
[24]No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
[25]Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matthew 7:12,16-18,20
[12]Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
[16]Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
[17]Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
[18]A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
[20]Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matthew 8:20,22
[20]And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
[22]But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
Matthew 9:12-13
[12]But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
[13]But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 10:9-10,16,37,39-40
[9]Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
[10]Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
[16]Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
[37]He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
[39]He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
[40]He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Matthew 11:7-8
[7]And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
[8]But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Matthew 12:8,11-12,33,35,48-50
[8]For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
[11]And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
[12]How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
[33]Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
[35]A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
[48]But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
[49]And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
[50]For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Matthew 13:33
[33]Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Matthew 15:8-9,17
[8]This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
[9]But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
[17]Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
Matthew 16:25-26
[25]For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
[26]For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 18:33-34
[33]Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
[34]And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Matthew 19:8,12,14,23-24,29-30
[8]He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
[12]For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
[14]But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
[23]Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
[24]And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
[29]And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
[30]But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Matthew 20:25-28
[25]But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
[26]But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
[27]And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
[28]Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 21:13,28-31
[13]And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
[28]But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
[29]He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
[30]And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
[31]Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Matthew 22:1-12,21,30-32,37-40
[1]And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
[2]The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
[3]And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
[4]Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
[5]But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
[6]And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
[7]But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
[8]Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
[9]Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
[10]So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
[11]And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
[12]And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
[21]Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
[30]For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
[31]But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
[32]I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
[37]Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38]This is the first and great commandment.
[39]And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40]On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 23:8-13
[8]But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
[9]And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
[10]Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
[11]But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
[12]And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
[13]But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Matthew 23:24-26
[24]Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
[25]Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
[26]Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
John 12:24-25
[24]Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
[25]He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
