The Major Works of Jesus Christ
The key events and works of Jesus Christ are clearly recorded in the four Gospels. His entire life was one of suffering, sacrifice, and love—all for the salvation of humankind. Jesus was baptized and began His gospel ministry at the age of thirty. During the three years of His ministry, He delivered many teachings and performed works directly related to humanity’s salvation. He established the new covenant—the truth of life—and ultimately sacrificed Himself on the cross. Forty days after His resurrection, He ascended to heaven, entrusting His disciples with the mission to preach the gospel to all nations.
Works of Jesus
During His three and a half years of ministry, Jesus taught the way of salvation and set an example for His disciples to follow.[1] The path He walked to lead humanity to salvation was filled with immeasurable suffering. After His baptism, He faced the temptations of Satan,[2] endured scorn and rejection from the religious leaders and the people of His time, and was ultimately crucified.[3] Yet, the love He revealed through His sacrifice on the cross, the faith and living hope He granted through His resurrection, and the mission to preach the gospel that He entrusted before His ascension—all became the driving force that inspired the early Church to spread the truth of Christ and the message of salvation throughout the world.
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Sea Port With the Lecture of Christ, Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1598: Jesus performs one of His most well-known miracles—the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. -
The Last Supper: A famous depiction of the New Covenant Passover -
Christ Carrying the Cross, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, 1553
| Major Events | Event | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptism | Jesus was baptized by John at the age of thirty, marking the beginning of His public ministry. | 3:13–17 | 1:9–11 | 3:21–23 | |
| Overcoming the temptations of the devil after fasting for forty days | After fasting for forty days, Jesus overcame Satan’s temptations by relying on the word of God. | 4:1–11 | 4:1–13 | ||
| Calling of Disciples in Galilee | Jesus called His disciples, including James, John, Andrew, Peter, and Philip. | 1:35–51 | |||
| Beginning to Preach the Gospel | Jesus preached repentance and the gospel of the kingdom in Capernaum. | 4:13–17 | |||
| Keeping the Sabbath | Jesus kept the Sabbath and taught in the synagogues, as was His custom. | 6:2 | 4:16–19 | ||
| Rejected in Hometown | The people in His hometown of Nazareth rejected Him, saying that He was merely Joseph’s son. | 4:22–30 | |||
| Teaching the True Meaning of the Sabbath |
He taught those who criticized Him for working on the Sabbath the true purpose of the Sabbath. |
12:1–13 | 2:23–3:5 | 6:1–10 | |
| Choosing the Twelve Apostles | Jesus appointed the Twelve, including Peter, James, and John. | 3:13–19 | 6:12–16 | ||
| Sermon on the Mount | Jesus taught His disciples and the crowds on a mountain in Galilee. | 5:1–7:29 | 6:17–49 | ||
| Sending the Twelve Disciples | Jesus gave power and instructions to the Twelve and sent them out to preach. After completing their mission, the disciples returned and reported to Him all that had happened. | 9:35–11:1 | 6:7–13, 30 | 9:1–6, 10 | |
| The Miracle of Five Bread and Two Fish | Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand people with only five barley loaves and two fish. | 14:15–21 | 6:35–44 | 9:12–17 | 6:1–13 |
| Bread of Life Teaching | Many people left after Jesus taught about the bread of life, but Peter remained and declared that Jesus had the words of eternal life. | 6:22–69 | |||
| Asking the Disciples About His Identity | While many people said that Jesus was one of the prophets such as John the Baptist or Elijah, Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” | 16:13–20 | 8:27–30 | 9:18–21 | |
| Prediction of His Death and Resurrection | Jesus foretold His suffering, death, and resurrection. | 16:21–28, 17:22–23, 20:17–19 | 8:31 | 9:22 | |
| Transfiguration | Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John. | 17:1–13 | 9:2–13 | 9:28–36 | |
| Keeping the Feast of Tabernacles | Jesus promised the blessing of the water of life on the Feast of Tabernacles. | 7:2–14, 37–39 | |||
| Sending the Seventy | Jesus appointed seventy disciples and sent them out to preach. | 10:1–16 | |||
| Raising Lazarus and Anointing by Mary | Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and was later anointed with perfume by Mary. | 26:6–13 | 14:3–9 | 11:17–44, 12:1–8 | |
| Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem on a Donkey | Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of the Bible.[4] | 21:1–11 | 11:1–11 | 19:28–38 | 12:12–16 |
| Cursing the Fig Tree | Jesus cursed a fig tree because it bore no fruit. | 21:18–19 | 11:12–14, 20–21 | ||
| Cleansing the Temple | Jesus drove out those who were selling in the temple and rebuked them. | 21:12–17 | 11:15–19 | 19:45–48 | |
| Teaching on His Second Coming and the End Times | Jesus taught His disciples on the Mount of Olives about His second coming and the signs of the end of the age. | 24:3–14 | 13:3–37 | 21:5–38 | |
| Establishing the New Covenant Passover | Jesus prepared His disciples for the Passover and washed their feet. During the Passover Supper, He promised the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, teaching that the bread and wine are His flesh and blood. | 26:17–19, 26–28 | 14:12–16, 22–24 | 22:7–13, 19–20 | 13:3–15 |
| Giving the New Command | While keeping the Passover, Jesus gave His disciples a new command—to love one another. | 13:31–35 | |||
| Foretelling Peter’s Denial | Jesus foretold that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. | 26:31–35 | 14:27–30 | 22:31–34 | 13:36–38 |
| Prayer in Gethsemane | In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed earnestly, and His sweat fell like drops of blood. | 26:36–46 | 14:32–42 | 22:39–46 | |
| Arrest in Gethsemane | Jesus was arrested by a crowd led by Judas, and His disciples fled in fear. | 26:47–56 | 14:43–50 | 22:47–53 | 18:3–12 |
| Trial Before the High Priest in the Sanhedrin | Jesus was taken to Caiaphas, the high priest, to be questioned. When He affirmed that He was the Son of God, the high priest became enraged, spat in His face, and struck Him with his fist. | 26:57–68 | 14:53–65 | 22:66–71 | 18:13-14, 19–24 |
| Peter Denies Jesus | Peter, who had followed Jesus after His arrest, sat in the courtyard of the high priest’s house, waiting to see what would happen. When people recognized him, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus had foretold. | 26:69–75 | 14:66–72 | 22:54–62 | 18:15–18, 25–27 |
| Pilate Questions Jesus | Jesus was bound and taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, by the chief priests and elders. When Pilate asked Him whether He was the King of the Jews, Jesus replied, “You say so.” | 27:1–2, 11–14 | 15:1–5 | 23:1–15 | 18:28–38 |
| Sent to Herod | Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, but Herod also found no fault in Him and sent Him back to Pilate. | 23:6–12 | |||
| Sentenced to Be Crucified | Pilate followed the custom of releasing one prisoner during the feast. He asked the crowd whether they wanted him to release Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious criminal. The people shouted for Barabbas to be released and demanded that Jesus be crucified. Fearing a riot, Pilate ultimately gave in to their demands and sentenced Jesus to be crucified. | 27:15–26 | 15:6–15 | 23:13–25 | 18:39–19:16 |
| Beaten and Mocked | Jesus was scourged by the soldiers, who mocked Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head. | 27:27–31 | 15:16–20 | ||
| Carrying the Cross to Golgotha | Jesus carried His cross to a place called Golgotha, which means “the Place of the Skull.” On the way, a man named Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help Him carry the cross. | 27:32–33 | 15:21–22 | 23:26 | 19:17 |
| Crucified and Died on the Cross | The soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, and above His head they placed a sign that read, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” He suffered on the cross from the third hour until the ninth hour, and then He gave up His spirit. | 27:35–50 | 15:24–37 | 23:33–46 | 19:18–30 |
| Buried in Joseph’s Tomb | Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man and disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. After receiving permission, he wrapped the body in clean linen and laid it in a new tomb he had cut out of the rock. | 27:57–60 | 15:42–47 | 23:50–54 | 19:38–42 |
| Resurrection | On the third day after His death, Jesus rose from the dead, just as He had foretold. | 28:1–10 | 16:1–9 | 24:1–9 | 20:1–18 |
| Appeared to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus | Jesus appeared to two disciples walking to Emmaus. As He explained the Scriptures to them, their hearts were moved, and their eyes were opened when He broke bread with them. | 16:12–13 | 24:13–35 | ||
| Appeared to the Eleven Disciples After His Resurrection | The resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples. | 16:14 | 24:36–43 | 20:19–31 | |
| Three Questions to Peter | Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” Each time Peter answered yes, and Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.” | 21:15–17 | |||
| Giving the gospel mission to His disciples | Before His ascension, Jesus gave His disciples the mission to preach the gospel to all nations. | 28:16–20 | 16:15–18 | 24:44–49 | |
| Ascension | Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Bible and ascended to heaven before the eyes of His disciples. | 16:19–20 | 24:50–53 |