There is no doubt that Jesus is widely considered the greatest teacher and philosopher that the world has ever and will ever know. Even his fiercest opponents seemed to acknowledge this. But Jesus went beyond what any great teacher alone would demand. He didn’t call on people to follow his words or to copy his example of life, he called on them to follow Him, he accepted worship from them; he even allowed one to call him God, making no attempt to contradict this understanding. He was indeed a great teacher, but he teaches us to do far more than just try and base our life on his teaching.
His Law of Love: He put himself in authority over the law given to Moses and interpreted by the traditions of centuries, and gave a new commandment to his disciples – to love one another to the standard of love which Jesus embodied in his life.
He Lived out his Teaching: Jesus’ life and his words were in such total harmony with one another that his opponents were unable to make any accusation of hypocrisy or inconsistency. The only ‘crime’ he was accused of was claiming that he was God – which was no crime if he truly was! But as that is what he taught, if we accept he was a great teacher, we also need to accept his teaching.