“Our Great High Priest” – Hebrews 10.11-14

Hebrews 10.11-14 – “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Much of Hebrews deals with comparing and contrasting the priests of the old covenant with Jesus, the high priest of the new covenant. Below are a few examples of the significant similarities and differences:

There were many old covenant priests and their term was temporary because they died and had to be replaced. There was only one new covenant priest and He serves forever because He lives forever (7.23-24). Human priests of the old covenant first had to offer sacrifices for themselves because they sinned. Jesus did not have to offer sacrifices for Himself because He never sinned (9.7). The old covenant priests offered the blood of goats and bulls (9.13). Jesus “offered himself unblemished to God” (9.14). The old covenant priests had to offer sacrifices day after day and these sacrifices served as a constant reminder of sin. Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” then “sat down at the right hand of God” because He had no more priestly work to accomplish.

I can only imagine what it was like to have to regularly and continually bring and offer animal sacrifices for sins committed. The blood of goats and bulls covered over sin, but the sacrifices would have to be made over and over because people sinned again. It was a messy, bloody reminder of sin. A priest’s work was never done. No one sacrifice could ever cover over all sins until Jesus came. However, Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins.” This is why He could sit down while the old covenant priests had to stand day after day.

Jesus’ one sacrifice of Himself was all that was needed. He was the sinless Lamb of God. His blood covers all sins. No more sacrifices are needed. His sacrifice has “made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Thousands upon thousands of animal sacrifices over the years pointed toward the once and final sacrifice to be made by the great high priest who would offer Himself as the final offering for sin.

We should thank Jesus every day that He has opened the way for us into the very presence of God. Because we have been cleansed from sin, we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (10.22). What a great high priest we have!