John 8:33

We be Abraham's seed (Sperma Abraam esmen). "We are Abraham's seed," the proudest boast of the Jews, of Sarah the freewoman and not of Hagar the bondwoman ( Galatians 4:22 ). Yes, but the Jews came to rely solely on mere physical descent ( Matthew 3:9 ) and so God made Gentiles the spiritual children of Abraham by faith ( Matthew 3:7 ; Romans 9:6 ). And have never yet been in bondage to any man (kai oudeni dedouleukamen pwpote). Perfect active indicative of douleuw, to be slaves. This was a palpable untruth uttered in the heat of controversy. At that very moment the Jews wore the Roman yoke as they had worn that of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Alexander, the Ptolemies, the Syrian (Seleucid) kings. They had liberty for a while under the Maccabees. "These poor believers soon come to the end of their faith" (Stier). But even so they had completely missed the point in the words of Jesus about freedom by truth.