Through his words and actions, Jesus changed the way people understood what it meant to be righteous.
Anger and murder
For many people, the commandment against murder is a straight rule that forbids taking another’s life. But in Matthew 5:21–22, Jesus warns us against anger and contempt towards others. According to him, righteousness involves taking a closer look at the attitudes that ultimately lead to harmful actions.
A person who has not killed another can still feel hatred towards others. And Jesus taught that we should examine the hatred and hostility within our hearts instead of just avoiding serious crimes.
Lust and adultery
Most people understand adultery as being s***ally unfaithful to a spouse. But Jesus challenged this understanding when he said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart”(Matthew 5:27–28). He taught people that adultery involved their desires and intentions, not just a physical act of betrayal.
Helping on the Sabbath
Jewish law set out which forms of work were allowed on the Sabbath. But Jesus healed people on several occasions on the Sabbath and was criticized for this. He asked whether it was lawful to do good to another person on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1–6).
When he questioned if it was permitted to do good on the Sabbath or to sin, he was teaching that we are not exempt from doing good to others merely because of Sabbath regulations. He showed that compassion took precedence over rigid interpretation of religious obligations.
Loving your enemies
We naturally show kindness to people who treat us well and resent and avoid people we don’t like. But Jesus taught his followers to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–48). According to Jesus, true righteousness means showing kindness to those outside of our own circle.
Giving in secret
Yes, making charitable donations can make a person admired and respected within a community. But Jesus preached against giving to the poor just because they wanted to be praised by others (Matthew 6:1–4).
He asked his followers to give quietly, and not be motivated by a desire for praise or recognition when doing charity. For an act of charity to be based on kindness, there shouldn’t be any ulterior motive behind it.
The humble tax collector
Jesus told of two men who prayed in the temple in Luke 18:9-14. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee boasted of many righteous acts, whereas the tax collector confessed he was a sinner and begged for God’s forgiveness.
Jesus declared that it would be the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, who left the Temple righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus’ teaching here is that one should acknowledge sinfulness and seek forgiveness.
Inner purity
During Jesus’s time, religious traditions about ritual cleanliness were important in Jewish life. However, Jesus challenged these traditions as he said physical cleanliness alone is not enough to make a person clean and pure. He explained that evil thoughts and actions that came from within a person were the things that truly made a person unclean (Mark 7:14–23).
The widow’s offering
Jesus observed rich men putting large donations into the temple offering box and one poor widow putting in two small coins (Mark 12:41–44). He said to his followers that the woman had given more than all the rest. The rich men had given a portion of their wealth, but she had donated all she had. He taught the challenging idea that a person’s generosity cannot be measured by the amount of money someone gave.
The good Samaritan
Jesus once told the story of a man who was attacked and left injured beside the road (Luke 10:25–37). A priest and a Levite passed him without helping, whereas a Samaritan stopped and cared for him. Jews and Samaritans had a long history of hostility.
In this story, Jesus showed the Samaritan as the one with righteous behaviour, not the respected religious figures. This taught people that compassion is more valuable than social or religious standing.
Forgiveness over revenge
The idea of an eye for an eye was originally meant to make sure that a punishment was not more severe than the offence itself. But Jesus taught His followers to take a different approach (Matthew 5:38–42). He told them to turn the other cheek instead of hurting someone who had hurt them. This was quite different from what many people believed was the right thing to do.
Serving instead of ruling
When we often think of greatness, we think it’s related to authority, influence, and high social status. Jesus challenged this idea by telling His disciples that whoever wanted to become great must become a servant (Matthew 20:25–28).
He showed this teaching by washing His disciples’ feet, a task people normally associate with servants (John 13:1–17). Instead of expecting others to serve him because of his position, he took the role of serving himself.
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12 lessons from Jesus that hold up even outside religion
You don’t have to be religious to find value in the teachings of Jesus, especially when it comes to kindness, relationships, forgiveness, and how we treat others.