Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 8:1)
We have such a High Priest… (Hebrews 8:1)
This speaks of His moral superiority. The fact that Jesus Christ is morally perfect and yet identified with us in our needs and temptations makes Him superior to any other priest, past or present.
who is seated…(Hebrews 8:1)
Today our Lord is seated because His work is completed. There were no chairs in the Old Testament tabernacle because the work of the priests was never finished. Each repeated sacrifice was only a reminder that none of the sacrifices ever provided a finished salvation.
seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 8:1)
Jesus Christ is not just “seated.” It is where He is seated that adds glory to His person and His work. He is seated on the throne in heaven at the right hand of the Father.
This enthronement was the fulfillment of the Father’s promise to the Son: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies your footstool.” Not only did the high priest of Israel never sit down in the tabernacle, but he never sat down on a throne. Only a priest “after the order of Melchizedek” could be enthroned, for Melchizedek was both king and priest (Hebrews 7:1).
a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. (Hebrews 8:2-3)
If Jesus Christ is a High Priest who offers gifts and sacrifices, then He must have a sanctuary in which He ministers. Since He is in heaven, that sanctuary must be in heaven.
who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5)
A “type” is an Old Testament picture of a New Testament truth. Moses saw this pattern on the mount and duplicated it in the earthly tabernacle. Since Jesus Christ is ministering in the original sanctuary, and not the copy, He is ministering in a better place.
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
Even though the new covenant of grace brings with it freedom from the law of Moses (Gal. 5:1), it does not bring freedom to disobey God and sin. God still desires that the “righteousness of the law” should be fulfilled in us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1–4).