Did Jesus Hate the Pharisees?

There are many lies about Jesus.  One of those lies is that “Jesus hated the Pharisees.”  They were the religious leaders of the Jews and Jesus called them snakes, and hypocrites and fools and told them they were headed for hell unless they believed He was the long-awaited Messiah or Chosen One of God.

For some reason they didn’t like being called that.  And I believe that was one of the reasons they killed him.  

But Jesus did something incredible because He loves them.  He not only prayed for their forgiveness in front of them; He preached to them from the cross: that He is who He claimed to be, in a way they would understand.

In Jesus’ day the Bible did not yet exist and the Scriptures were not referenced by chapter and verse numbers.  Many times, the first few words of a book or chapter identified the passage.  If you look at the first line of Psalm 22 it reads:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

and the Psalm continues,

6  But I am a worm and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7    All those who see Me ridicule Me;    They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8  “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” 16b   …they pierced My hands and My feet; 17    I can count all My bones.    They look and stare at Me. 18  They divide My garments among them,    And for My clothing they cast lots. (NKJV)

Jesus, hanging and dying on the cross, cared about the Pharisees receiving eternal life with Him so much, that he cried out to them the reference of the Passage of their beloved Scriptures that talked about what was happening before their eyes.  The Pharisees prided themselves on knowing the Scriptures and would have certainly known this Psalm and what it said.

They experienced what Jesus had told many earlier: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He…” (John 8:28, NKJV)

Jesus met the Pharisees where they were at and gave them what they needed.  Jesus had told them earlier that the only sign they would get would be the sign of Jonah, meaning, Jesus would be dead and buried and rise on the third day.  “Sunday,” as astonishing news traveled around the community, they knew that He done this as well.

If Jesus loved those who hated Him enough to do all that so they could spend eternity in Heaven with Him is there anything that you need that He would not do for you?