Jesus did not speak in long lists of promises. He made them one at a time, to real people, usually right when they needed one. A promise to a crowd of tired workers. A promise to a sister standing near her brother's grave. A promise to a dying man on the cross next to His.
This page gathers the best known of Jesus' promises in the Bible, the words He spoke Himself in the Gospels, with a few He spoke after rising from the dead. For each one you will see who first heard it and what it was about. Then you can decide which of them are spoken to you.
A good rule as you read: notice the little words. Whosoever, all ye, him that cometh and every one leave the door wide open. Ye, spoken to the twelve, sometimes means just them, and sometimes means every disciple after them. The setting usually tells you which.
Promises to anyone who comes
Some of Jesus' promises are open invitations. They were spoken to crowds, and the door they open has no guest list.
Rest for the worn out
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29-30 (KJV)
A yoke was the wooden frame that joined two oxen to pull a load together. Jesus does not promise no load. He promises to pull with you, and to teach you a lighter way to carry it.
Never turned away
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:37 (KJV)
In no wise means not in any way, for any reason. People sometimes fear they have gone too far for God to take them back. Jesus answered that fear before anyone asked it.
Ask, seek, knock
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Matthew 7:7 (KJV)
These are three steps that grow stronger: asking with words, seeking with effort, knocking until the door opens. In Luke's telling, Jesus says the best gift the Father gives those who ask is the Holy Spirit.
The night before the cross: a place and a Comforter
John 14 to 16 records what Jesus told His closest friends on the night He was arrested. He knew they were about to be shattered, and He filled that night with promises.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:1-3 (KJV)
Mansions in the King James means dwelling places, rooms in a family home. Jesus pictured His Father's house with room for everyone He brings, and He promised to come back for them Himself. He did not say heaven would be vague or far off. He said where I am, there ye may be also.
Then He made the promise people search for most, the promise of the Holy Spirit:
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17 (KJV)
Comforter means one called alongside to help. Jesus said the Spirit would teach His followers and bring His words back to their memory (John 14:26), and that He would not leave them comfortless. After He rose, He told them to stay in Jerusalem until that promise came, and before He went up to heaven He said in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Ghost would give them power to tell the world about Him. Not many days later, at Pentecost, it happened.
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:49 (KJV)
Jesus' promise of eternal life
Eternal life in the words of Jesus is more than living for ever. It is a kind of life that starts now, by knowing Him, and that death cannot end. He promised it more than once, and He always tied it to Himself.
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:28 (KJV)
He spoke these words about His sheep, the people who hear His voice and follow Him. Notice who is doing the holding. The sheep are not gripping the shepherd. The shepherd's hand is around them, and nobody is strong enough to pry it open.
When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus met Lazarus's sister Martha before He reached the town and gave her one of His boldest promises:
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:25-26 (KJV)
Then He asked her, believest thou this? It is a question every reader gets asked too. Soon after, He called Lazarus out of the grave.
Today you will be with me in paradise
Some of the shortest promises are the strongest. Two criminals were crucified with Jesus. One mocked Him. The other told his partner to stop, admitted they were getting what they deserved, and said Jesus had done nothing wrong. Then he asked one thing: Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23:43 (KJV)
That man could not be baptized, join a church, pay anyone back or do a single good deed. He had hours to live. Jesus did not hand him a list. He gave him a day, today, and a place, with me. If you have ever wondered whether it is too late for you, this is the promise to read.
The promises nobody puts on a coffee mug
Jesus was honest. Alongside rest and peace, He promised His followers things no one would choose. He said the world would hate them because it hated Him first. He said they would be put out of meeting places. In John 15:20 He reminded them that a servant is not greater than his lord: If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
Even His promise of a hundredfold reward in Mark 10:30 slips in two words most people skip: with persecutions.
Why would He promise trouble? So that when it came, His friends would not think God had failed them. And He never left the hard promise alone. He wrapped it in a better one.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 (KJV)
Be of good cheer does not mean pretend it does not hurt. It means trouble is not the winner. He already is.
A gentle word. Standing on God's promises goes hand in hand with good care. Keep seeing your doctor, take what you have been prescribed, and talk to someone you trust. If healing is slow, that is never proof that your faith was too small. The people of the Bible waited too.
Who He said it to
A quick guide to the promises on this page, and the people standing in front of Jesus when He spoke them.
| Promise | Where | First spoken to | Open to you? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest for the weary | Matthew 11:28-30 | The crowds | Yes: all who are weary and heavy laden |
| Never cast out | John 6:37 | A crowd in Capernaum | Yes: him that cometh |
| Ask and receive | Matthew 7:7 | His listeners on the mountain | Yes: every one that asketh |
| A place prepared | John 14:1-3 | The disciples at supper | Yes, for all who belong to Him |
| The Comforter | John 14:16-17 | The disciples at supper | Yes, for all who believe |
| Eternal life | John 10:28 | Listeners in the temple | Yes: His sheep |
| Paradise today | Luke 23:43 | A dying criminal | Spoken to one man, it shows how open His mercy is |
| Tribulation and peace | John 16:33 | The disciples | Yes, both halves |
| With you always | Matthew 28:20 | The eleven, sent out | Yes, for all sent with the gospel |
His last promise in Matthew
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:20 (KJV)
Matthew's Gospel ends on a mountain in Galilee with the risen Jesus sending His followers into every nation. He gave them a huge job and one promise to carry it with: He would be with them every day, to the very end. If you are trying to follow Him in a hard place, that is the promise to take with you. You might pray: Lord Jesus, You said You are with me always. Help me feel that today, and help me keep going.
Read them one at a time
The Gospels come in a later book of the series, still being written. The story behind them starts in Book One, which runs from Genesis through Leviticus and begins with God speaking of the woman's seed in Genesis 3:15. Each promise God spoke has its own page with the King James verse, who it was made to, any condition, and a short prayer.