Hebrews 8:4 Commentary and Bible Study

If Christ was on earth, he could not be a priest. One reason has already been given for this: he was of the tribe of Judah, and according to the law of Moses those priests who served in the earthly tabernacle could only be taken from the tribe of Levi. Here the same restriction is put in another way: there is only room for one priesthood to be operating on earth at a time. Since there was already a priesthood established in the earthly sanctuary, the Aaronic priesthood, there could not be another. And yet we know that when Christ was on earth, the Levitical priests had not yet been withdrawn but was still functioning in the temple in Jerusalem. Following Mary’s days of purification according to the law, Christ himself was presented by his parents at the temple to the priests. And yet he was our high priest throughout his earthly life as well as when he was received into heaven. Were there then, after all, two priesthoods on earth at the same time? This is what the epistle is driving at. Since there was already a functioning priesthood on earth, then even while he was on earth, his priesthood must belong to a different place; it must belong to heaven, not to earth.