““We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered Him, “and we have never been enslaved to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will become free’? ””, John 8:33 HCSB
- These people had been slaves in Egypt and were under Roman rule at that time and so why did they say they had not been enslaved by anyone? It could have just been that they were being prideful and saying untrue things. Another possibility I can think of is that perhaps they considered themselves from the line of Levites (who weren’t slaves in Egypt)?
- But as was usually the case, Jesus was talking about spiritual things and not things of this world.
“Jesus responded, “I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”, John 8:34-36 HCSB
- Like I have said before, Jesus always seemed to be looking at people’s hearts. He understood what was causing His opponents to behave the way they were behaving. He understood that their sin impacted their their views, perspectives, and actions and that their sin was the reason they couldn’t see or accept who Jesus was. So He was trying to set them free.