3/21/2021 - Take A Seat - Hebrews 8

Jesus takes his place...

There's a small detail included in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 1, but it has huge implications. Let's see if you can spot it..

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

I'll give you a clue. It has to do with the posture of Jesus. Yes, he is seated. That's key. 

One of the things that makes this book difficult to understand is that you and I don’t have the mindset of a first century Jew. One of my Jewish friends always enlightens me when we talk, being from a Jewish home and far more familiar with the Jewish mindset than me.

So let me help you understand what’s being said here because it is a statement with enormous consequences. If this New Covenant is going to be better, it must have a superior priest. How do we know Jesus is superior? Because of this phrase: “one who is seated.” Seems innocuous doesn’t it? But the author is saying this - of all the things we have said about priesthood this is the sum. It’s as if he’s saying we’ve talked a lot about priests, we’ve said a lot of important things, but here’s the most important feature about Jesus as a priest – he is sitting down. The highest proof of his superiority is that Jesus pulls up a chair. Why is that? Because priests never sat down. Listen to Hebrews 10:11-12...

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

You see the priest never finished his work. He could never sit down because the job was never done. He just had to keep offering more and more sacrifices because the sacrifice was only good until your next act of sin. And it just kept going and going and the priest never took a break. The tabernacle was the place where these priests offered sacrifices and there were no seats in it.

How does this relate to you and me? These believers were facing the temptation to turn away from Jesus and to turn toward familiar acts to gain God’s favor. The author says, “That old life is not where it’s at. Jesus makes all things new. Why would you go back to the old? Look at what Jesus has done for you. He’s built an indestructible bridge between you and God and that bridge is labeled: forgiven. He did his work and sat down. There’s nothing for you to do either. You can’t earn your salvation. Jesus is the one who said, 'It is finished!'” So it’s not about this constant striving to attain God, rather it’s about seeing the beauty of what Jesus did for you and embracing that. He took a seat because his work of atonement was done forever!