The problem that some people don’t get is that love doesn’t mean telling people what they want to hear, or sugar coating spiritual truths.
Jesus was love personified and He was direct enough.
Interestingly, while Jesus and the Pharisees tossed back and forth the accusations of being followers of Satan, it wasn’t just a battle of words.
When Jesus said it, it was because it was true. The Pharisees claimed it because they didn’t like the challenge of their authority. They kept trying to put themselves above God’s word and appealed to tradition to back themselves up.
Imagine that.