To those Jews, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and "never in bondage to any man," Jesus said, "If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." They believed themselves to be free men, but Jesus knew that they were far from realizing the freedom of that man who was made in the image and likeness of God. They were in bondage to myriad claims of evil, which deprived them of their liberty, even though they knew it not.
If error brings to mortals a sense of harmony, they believe it to be good. It is to them something to be desired, and they rejoice that they are permitted to enjoy the harmony it affords. Only when error causes suffering, do mortals feel that they are in bondage and want to be made free. It is the seeming harmony there is in error, rather than the discord it suffers, that keeps man in bondage. Discord in error is preferable to harmony in error, for suffering is the first step out of bondage.
To make mortals free indeed was the earthly mission of Jesus, but only those who realized they were in bondage had a desire to be free. For this reason there were but few who comprehended the purpose of his mission.
