What Jesus Taught

The Essentials of Christianity Series Book 2

To follow the Teacher, you need to know what he taught.

You have heard about Jesus your whole life. But have you ever really understood what he taught?

There is a version of Jesus being offered in churches, podcasts, and bestselling books right now. He is warm. He is affirming. He wants you to be kind and to feel accepted.

But if you have spent any time in the Gospels, you already know that something is missing.

The Jesus of the New Testament is more demanding, more disruptive, and far more liberating. He calls people to total allegiance, confuses the comfortable, and makes claims that leave no room for casual admiration.

What Jesus Taught is not an academic commentary, nor is it a devotional designed to make you feel good before breakfast.

It is a clear, scripture-grounded guide to the core teachings of Jesus, written for the reader who is done settling for less.

By the time you finish, Jesus will no longer be a figure to be admired from a distance. He'll be the teacher whose words reorder your entire life.

Jesus warned that many who call him Lord will be turned away, and this book exists so you are not among them.

Formats coming soon: ebook, paperback, hardcover, and large print.

About What Jesus Taught

Who this book is for

Anyone who wants to know what Jesus said.
Believers have never quite understood the Gospels.
Parents who want their children to know the real Jesus, not the cultural one.
Bible study leaders who want to put all the pieces together.
Pastors and teachers who feel the church keeps offering a thinner Jesus than the Gospels.
Anyone who walked away from church because the preached Jesus never matched the one they read about.

What it helps with

Recovering what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers, and the kingdom of God.
Seeing the coherence between Jesus's teaching and the Old Testament.
Spotting softened, sentimental, or politicized versions of Jesus.
Finding confidence in abiding in Jesus's word.

How to use it

On your own: Read a chapter, then work through the reflection questions and curated study list.
One-on-one: Read with a friend or mentor and discuss how to follow Jesus today.
Small group / class: Read along with the discussion questions to build understanding and community.
Homeschool / family: Read a chapter, discuss the key idea and study one of the suggested passages.

About the Author: Krisan Marotta, creator of the Wednesday in the Word podcast, is a dedicated student and teacher of the Bible, known for her clear, verse-by-verse exposition.

With over 40 years of Bible study, her podcast reaches listeners in over 50,000 listeners/year in 157 countries, guiding them to discover Scriptures’ truths for themselves.

Tell me When its Out

Curious if What Jesus Taught is for you?

If You Want More Than a Devotional but Less Than a Seminary Textbook

What Jesus Taught may be exactly what youre looking for.

You want to dig deeper than an inspirational thought for the day, but you don’t want to stop every paragraph to look up theological vocabulary.
You want someone to explain the historical background when it matters, show you how one passage fits in context, and then point you back to the biblical text so you can decide whether the argument holds up.
You want to understand not only what Jesus taught but why it matters.

If You Keep Asking, But "Where Does Jesus Say That?"

If you're the kind of reader who hears someone say, “Jesus taught...” and immediately wants to know where, What Jesus Taught was written for you.

The book organizes Jesus’ teaching from all four Gospels around four central questions:

What did Jesus teach about God?
What did Jesus teach about himself?
What did Jesus teach about his people?
What did Jesus teach about the kingdom of God?

Introduction

Foundation: Repent and Believe

Part 1: What Jesus Taught About God
1. God Above All
2. Giver of Life
3. Bread of Life

Part 2: What Jesus Taught About Himself
4. Miracles
5. Have You Not Heard
6. Suffering Servant
7. Upon This Rock

Part 3: What Jesus Taught About His People
8. The Truth About Us
9. Forgiving One Another
10. Loving Our Neighbors
11. Loving Other Believers
12. Carry Your Cross
13. The Deceitfulness of Wealth

Part 4: What Jesus Taught About The Kingdom
14. The Kingdom Expected
15. The Kingdom to Come
16. The Kingdom Here and Now

Conclusion: Abide in Me

Scripture References by Chapter

Introduction: Matthew 13:36; Mark 4:34; Luke 8:9; John 8; John 8:31–32.

Foundation — Repent & Believe: Isaiah 55:6–7; Matthew 12:38–42; Mark 1:15; Luke 15:11–32; Acts 2:22–39.

Chapter 1 — God Above All: Exodus 20:3–4; Deuteronomy 6:4–5; 6:4–15; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 96:4–5; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Matthew 4:1–10; 6:24; 26:39; Mark 7:21–23; 12; 12:28–34; Luke 12:4–5; 14:25–26; John 4; 4:9; 4:19–20; 4:21–26; 12:25; Romans 8:28; 8:28–39.

Chapter 2 — Giver of Life: Deuteronomy 8:3; 8:1–10; 30:6; Psalm 32:1–5; Isaiah 25:6–8; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36:26–27; 36:22–32; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 4:1–4; 5:45; 6:28–29; 7:7–11; 10:29–30; Mark 10:23–27; Luke 12:29–32; 15:11–32; 18:1–8; John 3:3–8; 3:16–17; 6:44; 6:65; 11:17–44.

Chapter 3 — Bread of Life: Isaiah 53:4–12; Matthew 16:21; 16:22–23; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 20:28; 26:26–29; 26:28; Luke 22:19; John 5:19–29; 5:21; 5:39–40; 6:26–29; 6:33–35; 6:35; 6:51; 6:53–58; 11:25; Hebrews 9:11–15.

Chapter 4 — Miracles: Exodus 4:1–9; Matthew 3:11–12; 4:23–24; 11; 11:1–3; 11:4–6; 12:38–40; Mark 2:5; 2:7; 2:9–11; 4:35–41; John 1:29–34; 2:1–11; 2:11; 2:18–21; 5:31–32; 5:33–36; 5:36; 9; 9:3; 9:5; 9:33; 9:39–41; 11:14–15; 11:21; 11:25; 11:25–27; 11:43; 1 Corinthians 15:1–20.

Chapter 5 — Have You Not Read: Genesis 2; 1 Samuel 21:1–6; Deuteronomy 24; 24:1–4; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21–24; Matthew 5:17–20; 9:10–13; 9:13; 12:3–8; 12:6; 12:7; 15:1–20; 19:1–3; 19:3–6; 19:7; 23:23; John 5:30–47; 10:35.

Chapter 6 — The Suffering Servant: Psalm 22; Isaiah 42:1–9; 49:1–13; 50:4–9; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12; 53; Matthew 12:14–21; 20:28; 26:28; 26:67–68; 27:57–60; Mark 1:11; 9:12; 10:32–34; 14:65; Luke 9:51; 17:25; 22:37; 24:25–27; 24:26; 24:44–48; John 5:39; 6:51; Philippians 2:5–11.

Chapter 7 — Upon This Rock: Matthew 10; 10:7; 13:10; 16:13–20; 16:21–23; 17:19; 18:1–4; 20:20–28; 20:25–28; 24:3; 28:16–20; Mark 4:10; 8:31–33; 9:28; 9:33–37; 13:3–4; Luke 8:9; 9:46–48; 9:54; 10:16; 21:7; 22:24–27; John 4; 13; 13:12–16; 14:25–26; 14:26; 15:26–27; 16:12–15; 17:20; 20:24–29; Acts 1:21–26; Galatians 1:11–12; 2 Peter 1:16–21.

Chapter 8 — The Truth About Us: Psalm 51:1–17; Isaiah 6:1–8; Luke 18:9–14; John 3; 3:1–21; 3:14–15; 3:16–18; 3:19–21; 7:7; Romans 3:9–26.

Chapter 9 — Forgive One Another: Genesis 50:15–21; Matthew 5:7; 6:12; 6:14–15; 7:1; 7:1–5; 18:15–17; 18:21–22; 18:21–25; 18:21–35; 18:26; 18:28; 18:32–33; 18:35; Luke 15:1–2; 15:6; 15:9; 15:23–24; 15:25–28; 15:29–30; 15:31–32; 17:1–4; 23:34; Ephesians 4:31–32.

Chapter 10 — Loving Our Neighbors: Exodus 23:4–5; Leviticus 19; 19:17; 19:17–18; 19:18; 19:33–34; Deuteronomy 32:35; 2 Kings 6:18–23; Proverbs 25:21–22; Matthew 5:43–47; 7:12; 22:34–40; Luke 6:27–36; 10; 10:25–28; 10:29; 10:30–37; Romans 13:8–10; James 2:8–9; 1 John 3:16–18.

Chapter 11 — Loving Other Believers: Matthew 5:46; 10; 10:40–42; 10:42; 25:31–46; 25:40; John 13:34–35; 15:12–17; 16:2; 17:20–23; Galatians 6:1–10; 6:10; Ephesians 4:1–6; 1 John 2:9–11; 4:19–21.

Chapter 12 — Carry Your Cross: Matthew 5:10–12; 5:13–16; 10; 10:16–33; 10:32–39; 10:39; 13; 13:20–21; Luke 6:26; 9:23–25; 9:57–62; 14:25–35; John 15:18–21; Philippians 3:7–14.

Chapter 13 — The Deceitfulness of Wealth: Psalm 49:5–20; Matthew 13:22; 19:16–26; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; 12:13–15; 12:13–21; 12:16–21; 16:1–13; 16:8; 16:9; 16:10; 16:13; 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19.

Chapter 14 — The Kingdom Expected: Genesis 1:1; 2 Samuel 7; 7:8–16; 7:13–14; Psalm 2; 2:7; 72; 89; 89:26–27; Isaiah 9:6–7; 11:1–4; 11:6–9; 11:10; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Ezekiel 34:23–24; Daniel 2:44; 7:12–14; 7:27; Hosea 3:4–5; Micah 4:1–2; 4:3–4; Zephaniah 3:17–20; Zechariah 14:8–9; Matthew 8:11; 12:28; 13:40–43; 26:29; Mark 3:2; Luke 1:26–33; 10:9; 11:2; 17:21; 19:11; John 1:49; 18:36; Revelation 11:15.

Chapter 15 — The Kingdom to Come: Isaiah 25:6–9; Daniel 12:1–3; 12:3; Matthew 4:17; 13; 13:24–30; 13:36–39; 13:40–43; 24:36–44; 25:31–33; 25:34; 25:46; Luke 12:35–48; 13:23–30; 19:11; 19:11–27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.

Chapter 16 — The Kingdom Here & Now: Zechariah 4:6–10; Matthew 12:22–29; 12:28; 13:19; 13:33; 13:37–39; 16:3; Mark 4:26–29; 4:30–32; Luke 17:20–21; 22:31–32; John 8:44–45; 16:13; Acts 26:12–18; 1 Corinthians 3:7; 2 Corinthians 4:3–4; Ephesians 6:10–20; Colossians 1:13–14; 1 John 3:8.

Conclusion — Abide in Me: Deuteronomy 18:15–19; John 1:18; 5:22; 8:31–32; 12:44–50; 17:1–8; Acts 4:8–12; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1–4.

What Jesus Taught is perfect for you if ...

You follow Jesus, but you’re not sure you could explain what he taught.
You've read the Gospels, but Jesus’ teachings feels like disconnected stories, sayings, and parables rather than a coherent message.
You want to understand what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers, and the kingdom of God.
You sometimes wonder whether the Jesus you hear about in sermons, social media, or popular culture is the Jesus you meet in Scripture.
You’ve heard that Jesus was mainly about love and acceptance, while Paul and the Old Testament were about rules and judgment, and you want to know whether that picture is accurate.
When someone says, "Jesus would have thought this..." you want a basis to decide if they're right.
You want to understand Jesus without needing a seminary degree or a theological dictionary.
You want more than inspirational thoughts about Jesus. You want to learn from him as his disciple.
You're looking for a biblically grounded book to read with a friend, small group, class, or someone you're mentoring.

Questions You'll Be Able to Answer...

What was the central message Jesus preached?
What did Jesus mean when he told people to “repent and believe”?
What did Jesus teach about God?
What did Jesus claim about himself?
Why did Jesus perform miracles?
Why did Jesus clash so often with the Pharisees?
What did Jesus mean when he told people to deny themselves and take up their cross?
What does it mean to love your neighbor? Where do you draw lines?
What did Jesus teach about sin, judgment, forgiveness, and eternal life?
What did Jesus mean by the “kingdom of God?
Is the kingdom of God here now, or is it still coming?
Did Jesus teach the same message as the Old Testament?
Did Paul change or contradict the message of Jesus?
How can I tell when someone is presenting a distorted version of Jesus?
What does Jesus expect from someone who wants to follow him?

What Jesus Taught is not this / it is that...

What Jesus Taught is not this:

Not a collection of inspirational sayings from Jesus.
Not a devotional that pulls comforting thoughts out of the Gospels.
Not a verse-by-verse commentary that works through all four Gospels from beginning to end.
Not an academic theology textbook written primarily for pastors or seminary students.
Not an attempt to remake Jesus into someone who agrees with modern culture, politics, or our personal preferences.
Not a book about becoming a nicer, more religious person.

What Jesus Taught is that

A clear, structured guide to the core teachings of Jesus.
A big-picture look at what Jesus taught about God, himself, his followers, and the kingdom of God.
A Scripture-centered guide that brings Jesus’ stories, sayings, parables, and conversations together so you can see how they fit together.
A bridge between “I believe in Jesus” and “I understand what it means to follow him.”
A guide to understanding Jesus in the context of the whole Bible, showing the coherence between Jesus, the Old Testament, and the apostles.
A way to become so familiar with Jesus teaching that you’re better prepared to recognize distorted versions of him.
An invitation to do what Jesus asked his disciples to do: remain in his word, learn from him, and let the truth change the way you see the world.

Tell me when it's out

If you like these books & authors, you’ll like What Jesus Taught

if you want to know what Jesus said

Robert H. Stein — The Method & Message of Jesus’ Teachings

Why this pick: Stein examines both what Jesus taught and how he taught it, drawing from the Gospel accounts.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT brings Jesus teaching together into a coherent picture for everyday Christians.

D. A. Carson — Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World

Why this pick: Carson asks readers to hear Jesus best-known teaching in biblical context.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT takes that careful listening beyond the Sermon on the Mount and across all four Gospels.

Philip Yancey — The Jesus I Never Knew

Why this pick: Yancey invites readers to encounter the Jesus of the New Testament afresh.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT shares that concern but concentrates on what Jesus taught.

if you want to know Jesus better

Timothy Keller Jesus the King

Why this pick: Keller explores the identity and mission of Jesus through Mark's gospel.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT draws from all four Gospels to discover the larger pattern in Jesus teaching.

John Stott — The Message of the Sermon on the Mount

Why this pick: Stott explains Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5–7 in context.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT shares Stott’s conviction that we must listen carefully to Jesus throughout all four Gospels.

Rebecca McLaughlin — Confronting Christianity

Why this pick: Thoughtful answers to hard questions.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: A friendly on-ramp that clarifies the big picture before tackling hard topics.

R. C. Sproul, any book

Why this pick: Sproul explained serious theology clearly without assuming difficult ideas were beyond ordinary Christians.

Why you’ll like What Jesus taught: WJT takes the same "you can understand this" approach and brings readers back to the Bible.

Big-picture Bible Guides

Vaughan Roberts — God’s Big Picture

Why this pick: Roberts helps readers see the Bible as one unfolding story.

Why you'll like What Jesus Taught: WJT shows how Jesus’ parables, arguments, miracles, sayings, and conversations fit together around larger themes.

J. I. Packer — Knowing God

Why this pick: Packer combines theological substance with knowing God better.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT explains how Jesus’ teaching about God leads directly to what he teaches about himself, his followers, and the kingdom.

Spangler and Tverberg — Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus

Why this pick: They help readers understand Jesus against the Jewish and biblical background of his teaching.

Why you’ll like What Jesus Taught: WJT also assumes context matters, helping difficult sayings become clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should read What Jesus Taught?

What Jesus Taught is for Christians who want to understand what Jesus actually taught and how his teachings fit together.

Its especially helpful if you’ve read the Gospels but sometimes feel like you have a collection of parables, sayings, miracles, and stories without a clear picture of the whole.

It's also designed for small groups, classes, mentors, and anyone who wants a structured guide to the core teachings of Jesus.

Do I need a lot of Bible knowledge to understand this book?

No. You don’t need a seminary degree or years of Bible study. The book explains unfamiliar terms and provides the biblical background you need along the way. At the same time, it goes beyond a beginner-level overview.

Whether you are relatively new to Bible study or have followed Jesus for years, the goal is to help you see familiar passages more clearly and understand how they fit together.

What does the book cover?

The book begins with Jesus call to repent and believe” and then organizes his teaching around four major subjects.

What Jesus taught:

about God,
about himself,
about his people, and
about the kingdom of God.

Rather than treating Jesus sayings as isolated lessons, What Jesus Taught brings them together so you can see the larger message running through them.

Is this a commentary on the four Gospels?

No. A commentary typically works through a biblical book passage by passage. What Jesus Taught takes a different approach. It draws from all four Gospels and groups Jesus’ teachings by subject. That allows you to put passages from different times and places beside each other and ask: What did Jesus consistently teach about this topic?

Is this a devotional?

Not in the usual sense. You won’t find a short inspirational thought followed by an encouraging takeaway for the day.

What Jesus Taught asks you to slow down and listen carefully to Jesus as a teacher.

The goal is not simply to find something inspiring that Jesus said, but to understand what he meant, how his teachings fit together, and what they require of those who follow him.

Does the book only focus on the words Jesus spoke?

The focus is Jesus’ teaching in the four Gospels, but understanding what he said often requires looking at the Old Testament background behind his words.

Jesus did not teach in a vacuum. He quoted Scripture, referred to biblical events and people, and assumed his listeners knew Israel’s history and hopes. The book provides that background when you need it so you can hear his teaching more like his original audience would have heard it.

Does Jesus teach the same message as the Old Testament and the apostles?

That is one of the important questions the book explores. Sometimes Jesus is presented as if he replaced the God of the Old Testament with a gentler message. At other times, Paul is treated as if he turned Jesus’ simple teachings into a complicated theology.

What Jesus Taught looks carefully at those claims and shows how Jesus’ teaching fits within the larger message of Scripture.

Is What Jesus Taught denomination-specific?

No. The focus is on Jesus teaching in Scripture rather than the distinctive doctrines or practices of a particular denomination.

Where Christians disagree about an interpretation, the book seeks to explain the biblical evidence clearly rather than assuming the reader already belongs to a particular theological tradition.

But if you want a label, it is more reformed than anything else.

Will this book tell me what Jesus really meant according to modern culture?

No. The goal is almost the opposite. Every generation is tempted to remake Jesus into someone who conveniently agrees with its own assumptions. This book asks a different question: What do the Gospels actually show Jesus saying and teaching?

Sometimes his words are comforting. Sometimes they are surprising. Sometimes they are difficult. The goal is to let Jesus speak for himself rather than turning him into the Jesus we would prefer him to be.

Can I use What Jesus Taught with a small group or class?

Yes. The book is designed to work well on your own, with a friend or mentor, or in a small group or class. Because each chapter focuses on a major theme in Jesus’ teaching and returns repeatedly to Scripture, it naturally lends itself to discussion. Readers can examine the passages together, ask questions, and decide whether the conclusions in the chapter are supported by the biblical text.

How is What Jesus Taught different from Start Strong?

The books complement each other, but you don't need to read Start Strong first. What Jesus Taught stands on its own.

Start Strong asks, “What are the essential truths I need to understand as a Christian? What Jesus Taught looks exclusively at the teachings of Jesus.

Both books share the same goal: to make biblical truth understandable without watering it down and to help you become more confident reading Scripture for yourself.

Why write another book about Jesus?

Because Jesus may be one of the most familiar people in history while his teaching remains surprisingly unfamiliar. We hear individual sayings quoted. We know some of his parables. We recognize stories about his miracles.

But it is easy to miss the coherent message running through all of them.

What Jesus Taught brings those pieces together. The goal is not simply to know more facts about Jesus. It is to become familiar enough with his teaching that when someone says, "Jesus taught…” you can tell how true that is.

Tell me when it's out

Krisan Marotta is the creator of the Wednesday in the Word podcast, and a passionate advocate for Bible study, who has dedicated over four decades to understanding and teaching Scripture.

With her methodical approach and thoughtful analysis, she guides 50,000 listeners each year across 157 countries through verse-by-verse exposition that illuminates biblical truths with clarity and depth.

Wednesday in the Word podcast

The longest running Bible Study podcast in the world

Fact Sheet

Title: What Jesus Taught

Subtitle: What He Said About God, Himself, His Followers, and the Kingdom

Author: Krisan Marotta

Series: The Essentials of Christianity Series Book 2

Genre: Theology, Popular Theology, Christology

Publisher: Ezra's Path Publishing, Charlottesville, Virginia

Publication date: Spring 2027

Length: TBD

ISBNs / ASINs: TBD

Prices: TBD

BISAC ideas: Spiritual Growth; Discipleship; Biblical Studies / Jesus

Bible Translation used: English Standard Version (ESV)

Reading Level: 8th grade

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. - Ezra 7:10

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today