They now show their true colours. All the respect and deference that came before was a sham, but now that Christ has dragged their sin out into the open, they no longer bother to keep up the pretence.
If we imitate Jesus, we too will be offensive. If our witnesses always ending on good terms, then something is probably wrong with it. Not every person we speak to will receive the message, and the gospel is intrinsically offensive to the self-righteous. Some teach that everyone approached in the right way will receive Christ. Everyone will be receptive to the gospel; everyone has an inner desire for God, and a wise witness will bring them to respond favourably. But if we say that, what happened on this occasion? Was Christ too blunt with them? Did he rile them unnecessarily? God forbid that we should say that. He spoke only what it was necessary for them to hear, and there was no other way of winning them. Strong medicine is needed to cure advanced disease of the soul.