Hebrews 8:3 Commentary and Bible Study

The thinking now advances to the nature of Christ’s offering as our high priest: what exactly did he offer up to God? The task of a priest is to represent the people to God and God to the people, and to act as their mediator. The Levitical priests offered sacrifices in accordance with the ceremonies given to Moses in the ancient law. Scripture takes for granted that man is fallen and therefore that the principal part of priest’s work is the offering up of sacrifices on behalf of the people. So much of the his time was spent in receiving, preparing, and offering the various offerings and gifts ordained by the law, some for himself and some for the people. Without this multitude of sacrifices he would not be functioning as a priest. But all of them put together did not actually remove the guilt of a single sin of a single person. Were they then a waste of time? Certainly not! They were ordained by God, but not to be the means by which sins were washed away. All these sacrifices offered on a daily basis were intended to constantly reinforce in the minds of the people the need for atonement, and to teach them that redemption could only come by the shedding of blood. But if these sacrifices were in themselves ineffectual, what was the true sacrifice? The principal that a priest must have something to offer applies to him also; the Lord Jesus Christ must ‘have somewhat also to offer’, and of course he did. What would the true high priest offer up? What would succeed in removing guilt and sin so perfectly that God could be reconciled to sinners? What is he offering in heaven is himself. He suffered and died on earth. He has made an atonement for sin on behalf of all who would be saved. Now he is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, equal with the Father, and his bodily presence – his glorified body as the God man at the throne in heaven – is his priesthood. The fact that he is there with his glorified wounds as the one who suffered and died; his very presence is an everlasting intercession for his people. He represents us to God – ‘I have died for them’ – and he represents the Father and indeed the whole Trinity to man on earth through his Spirit, by calling his people to himself.