Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. 36 So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. 38 I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”
Jesus addressed a mixed crowd of believers and unbelievers. He said that if they continued to live as he taught them, they would be true disciples, come to know the truth and be spiritually set free. Discipleship requires faith and obedience to his word (vv. 31-32). The Jews in the crowd claimed that as descendants of Abraham, they were never enslaved. They understood Jesus to be speaking of physical bondage, but Jesus was speaking of spiritual slavery to sin. Since they did not understand that they were slaves to sin they will remain slaves. Historically the Jewish people had been enslaved or were under foreign rulers many times. The most significant enslavement was in Egypt for 430 years (Ex. 12:40-41). Other nations had enslaved them; the Canaanites, Midianites, Ammonites, Philistines, the Babylonian Exile, and the Assyrian captivity were other examples.
Jesus explained the difference between a son and a slave in a household. A slave is a temporary part of the household with temporary rights (Ex. 21:2), but a son is a permanent member of the family with permanent rights (Gen. 21:10). Jesus offers believers true and lasting freedom from the power of sin. Jesus told them that he knew they were descendants of Abraham, but salvation is not based on one’s heritage but on remaining in God’s word and remaining in the Son (Jn. 15:4). Only the Son can set one free. The Jews were descendants of Abraham, but they rejected his word and were trying to kill him. They neither kept God’s commandments nor recognized Jesus as being sent by God. Jesus told them what he had seen in his Father’s presence so they should act in accordance with what he has told them.
Almighty God, may your grace awaken our hearts so that we may hear and understand your word, be converted, and seek your forgiveness. Grant us the gifts of faith and obedience so that our deeds may be pleasing to you. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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