One of the things we rely on constantly today is reviews.
- Before we buy something…
- Before we eat somewhere…
- Before we stay at a hotel…
- Before we watch a movie…
We check the reviews.
Five stars? Great. Two stars? Probably not.
You read comments like:
“Amazing food! Best tacos ever!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Terrible service. Waited 45 minutes for water.” ⭐⭐
And sometimes the reviews are completely contradictory.
“Best place I’ve ever eaten!”
Right next to…
“Worst place I’ve ever eaten.”
And then you wonder… Which one is true?
Now imagine if history worked the same way and Jesus had a review page. You might see something like this:
“Incredible teacher. Life-changing wisdom.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Powerful miracle worker.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Compassionate toward the poor.”⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
But then you might also see:
“Too radical.” ⭐⭐
“Thinks He’s all that. Pretends like He is in charge.” ⭐⭐
“Says some cringy things.” ⭐⭐
In fact, that’s basically what we see when we look at history.
Everyone seems to have an opinion about who Jesus is.
- Some admire Him.
- Some question Him.
- Some dismiss Him.
- Some worship Him.
So, who is Jesus?
The thing is, Jesus Himself left no room for opinions or speculation about who He is.
Look at what Jesus says in Matt 16:
Matt 16:13-15 (CSB)—When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
And Peter gives the perfect answer, recognizing exactly who Jesus is.
Jesus is still asking that same question today, “Who do you say that I am?”
No person in human history has influenced the world as much as Jesus.
Think about it:
- Our calendars are divided by His life (BC / AD).
- Billions of people worship Him today.
- His teachings shaped the moral framework of Western civilization.
- Hospitals, charities, and universities were built in His name.
And yet, after 2,000 years, people still debate the same question.
Who is Jesus?
How you answer that question matters more than any other question in life. Because if Jesus is only a teacher, we can admire His wisdom. If He’s only a historical figure, we can study Him. If He’s only a moral example, we can try to imitate Him.
But if He is who He claimed to be… then we must somehow respond to that; our lives must somehow reflect that.
That’s why for the next five weeks we’re exploring one question:
Who is Jesus?
Today, we begin with the most common answer people give to that question: Jesus was a teacher. Today’s sermon is called “Jesus the Teacher.”
The first thing we see about Jesus the teacher is:
1. Jesus Was Recognized as a Teacher (Even by His enemies)
People regularly called Him Rabbi.
John 1:38 – “Rabbi (which means Teacher)”
Mark 10:17 – Rich young ruler: “Good Teacher”
John 3:2 – Nicodemus: “We know you are a teacher who has come from God.”
Even people who didn’t like Jesus acknowledged His authority and His role as teacher.
In Luke 20, we see this exchange between Jesus and those who wanted to undermine Him.
Lk 20:20-22 (CSB)—They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority. They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, and you don’t show partiality, but teach truthfully the way of God. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
No one questioned that Jesus was a teacher. The real question was what kind of teacher was He?
2. Jesus Taught with Authority
People who sat in the synagogue to listen to their spiritual leaders teach were used to hearing things like: “Rabbi so-and-so says…” or “The tradition teaches…”
But when Jesus taught, he didn’t use that kind of language. He would say things like this:
Matt 5:21-22 (CSB)—“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.
And again here:
Matt 5:27-28 (CSB)—“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
When Jesus taught, He was the source of truth, not merely a messenger. Most teachers point to the truth, but when Jesus taught, He was the authority behind the teaching.
That fact ticked off the religious leaders because people recognized His authority, which threatened the power they held.
Jesus produced mainly three effects: hatred, terror, adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.
—C. S. Lewis
Matt 7:28-29 (CSB)—When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
People recognized that there was something unique about the way Jesus spoke and taught. It was powerful and authoritative, and people saw that.
What else was unique about Jesus’ teaching?
3. Jesus Taught With Clarity
He used teaching methods that made the truth stick. We talked about this a little bit last week when we looked at how Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God. He frequently used stories or parables.
Our brain can often connect the dots and relate when the truth is revealed through a story.
Jesus told stories, such as the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Jesus wanted to teach how you love your neighbor as yourself and who your neighbor is. So He tells this story about a Samaritan man who was traveling and came across a man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two religious leaders passed the half-dead man but didn’t want to get their hands dirty by helping. Then a Samaritan man passed by and stopped to help the man. He took the man to an inn where he paid the innkeeper to care for him until he returned.
Of course, the religious leaders were supposed to be the respectable ones, not the Samaritan man. Jesus wanted to illustrate what it looked like to love your neighbor.
Lk 10:36-37 (CSB)—“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
There was no question about what Jesus was trying to communicate. He very clearly made his point.
He used memorable images by saying things like: “You are the salt of the earth,” and “You are the light of the world”, or “Remove the plank from your own eye before removing the speck from your neighbor’s.”
These pictures made spiritual truth accessible to everyone. People who were not formally educated, and even children, could understand Him.
4. Jesus Taught With Wisdom
His teaching still shapes the moral framework of the world we live in.
Again, back to the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5–7. Jesus taught things that were revolutionary thinking in those days:
Love your enemies – Matthew 5:44
Turn the other cheek – Matthew 5:39
Blessed are the meek – Matthew 5:5
Forgive others – Matthew 6:14
These ideas were not normal in the ancient world. Yet today they define moral goodness; they delineate a moral direction. Even people who don’t follow Jesus recognize the wisdom of His teaching and how it proves true and right over and over and over again. The things Jesus taught work because He was wise.
However, our world today often seeks to separate these moral ideals from Jesus—particularly regarding His divinity, atonement, and grace.
But you cannot separate who Jesus was from the truth that He taught. You cannot separate who Jesus was from what He said because it is through Him that we understand the truth, and it is through Him that we are empowered to live the truth, and it is only through Him that we find mercy, grace, and forgiveness when we fail the truth.
If there is one thing that distinguishes Jesus from all other teachers, it is this:
5. Jesus Taught Truth that Demands a Response
He didn’t just dole out wisdom, but because He is the truth, He called people to follow Him.
One of the most famous things Jesus ever taught comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. After all the wisdom and teachings about love, forgiveness, humility, prayer, and generosity…
Jesus ends with a story.
Matthew 7:24-27 (CSB)—“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”
At first, the houses looked the same. From the outside, the houses probably looked identical. Both builders worked. Both built homes. Both likely felt confident about what they had done. But then Jesus says something happened.
The rain came.
The rivers rose.
The wind beat against the houses.
And that’s when the difference was revealed.
One house stood firm. The other collapsed.
Jesus explains the point of the story. The wise builder represents the person who hears His words and puts them into practice. The foolish builder represents the person who hears His words but does nothing with them.
The difference wasn’t knowledge. Both heard the teaching. The difference was response.
Jesus’ point is, don’t just file my words away. Don’t just smile and nod and move on. Build your life on this authoritative, clear, and wise teaching.
Most people—even people who don’t go to church—admire the teachings of Jesus.
People quote His teachings. People respect His teachings. People post His teachings online. But Jesus never said: “Blessed are those who admire my teaching.” He said the wise person is the one who builds their life on it.
Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He’s not left that open to us.
—C. S. Lewis
So the real question isn’t: “Do you like the teachings of Jesus?” The real question is: Are you building your life on them? Because storms eventually come into every life. Those storms are difficulty, hardship, loss, and uncertainty.
It is in those moments that the real foundation of our lives is revealed. Jesus says the life that stands is the life built on His words. Which means the most important thing about Jesus the Teacher is this:
He didn’t come just to inform our minds. He came to transform our lives.
And that’s why this series matters so much.
Who is Jesus?
Because how you answer that question will determine what you build your life on.
Before you leave, I want to give you a few tools that will help you build your life on God’s word.
Chris Hankel 
Leave a comment