Top 21 Most Popular Bible Verses in Matthew

Studying the Bible verses in the Book of Matthew can help us understand and know Jesus better. Matthew wrote this Gospel to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and to explain God’s Kingdom.

According to Matthew, the Gospel of Jesus Christ contains many rich stories and lessons from Jesus and people’s encounters with Him. We can learn a lot by reading and studying these Matthew Bible verses. We can also benefit a lot by looking at the background of the Gospel, its author, and many more.

Introduction to Matthew Bible Verses

Author

We must remember that this all happened thousands of years ago, so there are bound to be debates about the details of the Gospels. Still, it is widely known and accepted that the Gospel was written by one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Matthew, the tax collector. 

Some believe that tax collectors are trained in shorthand writing, which allows them to write faster. According to this theory, Matthew recorded events as they occurred, and the Gospel contains accurate information from a firsthand account.

Date and Place of Writing

The authors of the Gospels did not write the whole Gospel while they were with Jesus. Authors started writing after the early churches had been established. They needed to pass on to believers the things they had seen, heard, and experienced with Jesus and their faith. 

Although it is the first book of the New Testament, Matthew is not the first Gospel written, but Mark. Matthew is believed to have been written around A.D. 55-70. There are also debates about where it was written, with some saying it was written in the Holy Land and others saying it was written in Syrian Antioch.

Audience

If we look closely at the Gospel according to Matthew, we will see that it is very organized, concise, and neat. It is not written chronologically, but instead, the passages are arranged within the five discourses of Jesus: 

1. Matthew 5:1-7:29 (The Sermon on the Mount)
2. Matthew 9:35-10:42 (Jesus Sends out the Twelve)
3. Matthew 13:1-53 (Collection of Parables)
4. Matthew 14-18 (Instructions to the community)
5. Matthew 23-25 (End of Age and Judgment)

There are also variations in the inclusion of passages in each discourse. The Infant narrative is considered the Introduction and the Conclusion, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is essential to see these partitions in the Gospel because they tell us about the audience of the Gospel or its recipients. We must keep in mind that the books of the Bible are not written as “books” but more likely as letters.

Through this, we can speculate that the audience of this Gospel is Christian Jews or Jewish people who have converted to Christianity. This is further supported by the emphasis Matthew gave on how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of old. Most likely, it is why the Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham. It is vital in Jewish eyes to establish that Jesus came from the family of King David.

Overall Theme

In those days, people faced a lot of persecution because of their faith, so many people were thinking of abandoning the faith. Jews in those days felt like this new faith would bring chaos to their religion, which was Judaism, so they were doing their best to stop these believers, even resorting to killing them.

Matthew wrote the Gospel to the early churches to remind them why they believed. Matthew 20:28 reminds us that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. He proved that Jesus is the Messiah they have waited for so long. Matthew made sure to use a format and language that would be comfortable for Jews because that was how much he cared for them and their faith.

Best Matthew Bible Verses

Most popular verses in Matthew

Matthew 28:19-20

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is called the Great Commission, the most significant task or sending forth that Jesus gave to His disciples up to this day. Jesus said He is with us always, even to the end of the age, and He continues to be with us today through His Spirit.

Matthew 5:17

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Everything Jesus said and did here on earth was according to the Law and the prophecies, contrary to what people think. Jesus practiced the Law and fulfilled the prophecies in a way that people had never imagined before, so they thought the Son of Man was ruining their religion, but He was not.

Matthew 22:37-39

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Law of the Jews comprises commandments that are way too many to count. But Jesus summed up everything in the Law in two commandments, teaching people that love should be at the center of the Law.

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

This was part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He taught people many things there, including that they are the light of the world and that their faith will always show.

Matthew 24:35-37

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.“

We are promised that nothing can take away the power of the Word of God or our assurance behind it.

Matthew 24:14

“And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

God’s will is that the Word be proclaimed everywhere in the world, so He is sending us to proclaim the Gospel and lead people to salvation.

Comforting Verses in Matthew

Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

It is so good to know that when we ask, God is always there to listen, respond, and give us the best we can ever have.

Matthew 6:25

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

In Matthew 6:25, Jesus does not say we should ignore our physical and material needs. Instead, He is saying that no matter how little we have in this life, we are blessed enough as long as we have our lives with Him.

Matthew 11:28

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus understands that if you get tired and frustrated, all you have to do is go to Him, and He will give you rest. Jesus frees people who are heavy-laden with burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God.

Matthew 19:26

“And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

We have many limitations, but God does not, so let us approach Him humbly and ask.

Matthew 21:22

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Faith is necessary for our prayers to be answered, so we must believe that God is all-powerful, no matter how unlikely things seem.

Verses about holiness in Matthew

Matthew 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Christianity and faith are not about what we say but what is in our hearts and manifests in our work.

Matthew 6:9

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

So many people pray to show off and demonstrate their religiousness, but Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9 the sincere way to pray and connect to God honestly.

Matthew 7:13

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”

We are called to follow God, not the world. So, no matter how many people we find following the world, we should always direct our focus and obedience to God.

Matthew 6:16

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

Many people in Jesus’ time used religious practices to improve their image, but God disapproved of this. Instead, His children should be different. Matthew 6:16 reminds us to perform spiritual practices out of our commitment to God.

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

We cannot serve appropriately if our loyalty is divided. We cannot have it all, so we must choose between our love for heavenly and earthly things.

Lifestyle verses in Matthew

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Being God’s disciple is not seasonal or something we do in our free time or when we feel like it. It is a lifestyle; we should always seek God and His righteousness first, and He will always take care of us. To seek first the Kingdom of God means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, and to serve and obey Him in everything.

Matthew 6:19

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

We are not of this world, so we should not focus on things where things will not last. We must focus on heavenly things.

Matthew 7:1

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

It is often easier to judge others than to appreciate or praise them, but we should not judge others because we will do the same.

Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

The discovery of salt revolutionized how we eat and preserve food; likewise, our faith should revolutionize the world.

Matthew 7:12

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Instead of being mean to others and trying to justify it, we should put ourselves in their shoes and imagine what we would feel if the roles were reversed. Then, we can more easily and faithfully practice our faith.

In Summary

It is good to know verses in the Gospel because they are direct accounts of Jesus’ days on earth. Still, it is also good to peek behind those verses and look at who wrote these books, who they wrote them for, and their situation in those days to better understand the context and the Word of God. We can learn much about Jesus, the Son of David, through Matthew’s eyes.