Hebrews 8:1

THE ENTHRONED HIGH PRIEST ON HIGH;

MINISTERING THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY;

ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN;

FIRST COVENANT IMPERFECT;

JEREMIAH'S PROPHECY OF THE NEW COVENANT

Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: we have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. (Hebrews 8:1-2)

Jerden notes that:

This passage does not present a recapitulation of topics already considered; it emphasizes as the crowning topic in connection with our Lord's priesthood, the fact that he has been made higher than the heavens.[1]

Two words in these verses challenge our attention because of the paradox, Hebrews 8:1 presenting our Lord as "seated," whereas Hebrews 8:2 hails him as a "minister of the sanctuary," that is, "a servant." Both seated and serving, therefore, our Lord is contrasted with the temporal high priests who found no chair within the Holy of Holies, thus never being seated, and never permitted to remain except for a short period of time. The seated and serving Christ, on the other hand, abides in perfect and eternal control of the ministry on behalf of man which does not require that he busy himself with this or that, but which service has already been essentially completed, requiring only his presence upon the throne of God to assure its perfect administration and efficacy.

THE TEMPLE IN HEAVEN

The reference in this place to existence of a heavenly temple or tabernacle requires that any notion of a literal or actual temple or court in some particular locale beyond the earth's atmosphere be refuted. It is the conviction of this writer that such language is used by the Holy Spirit in order to bring down to the level of human comprehension those heavenly realities which are not capable of any complete finite understanding, and that the eloquent words used in the sacred text are accommodated to man's weakness and limitations, and that the marvelous realities thus described are fantastically beyond the total human knowledge of them, the very power and ability of language itself, as a means of communication, being helpless to transmit anything more than a typical or suggestive outline of the things that are in the heavens. Therefore, with the deepest reverence and humility, people should strive in these matters to think God's thoughts after Him, and not to crush the knowledge of that upper and better world into the straitjacket of its revealing metaphor.

The whole earth is seen as God's temple in Psalms 29, and a mighty thunderstorm in the wilderness is envisioned as actually taking place within the temple. "In his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King forever" (Psalms 29:9,10). Micaiah saw a vision of the Almighty hold court in heaven: "I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left" (1 Kings 22:19). Isaiah's vision of God's throne (Isaiah 6:1ff) located it within the temple and stressed the service of the seraphim, mentioning the Lord's train, the smoke of incense, and the live coals on the altar. Ezekiel beheld God's throne above the firmament as having the appearance of a sapphire stone, and as the appearance of fire, and as of the brightness of the rainbow, a very high eminence, being invariably above even the heads of the cherubim (Ezekiel 1:26-28; 10:1). Psalms 11:4 has "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven." Micah saw the Lord's "holy temple" as far above the earth from which the Lord would come down and tread "upon the high places of the earth" (Micah 1:2,3). Habakkuk has the renowned call to worship, "But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him" (Habakkuk 2:20). From all these and many other references, should it be concluded that there is literally a temple in heaven? No. These revelations symbolize and typify facts and realities beyond any intellectual grasp. That such a conclusion is true appears from the surpassingly extensive vision of the apostle John concerning the Holy City coming down from God out of heaven, in which it is categorically stated, "I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof" (Revelation 21:22).

We have such a high priest refers to our Lord whose character and office have already been shown to be so far above that of any other. An excellent summary of the superiority of our high priest is that of Garbett, appended here.

In human priests, if the most extravagant claims were admitted, it would yet be true that the dignity is only in the office, and not in the men. But when we turn to the true High Priest, how different it is! Here is not only the glory of the office, but the glory of the Person, infinitely qualified in his deity to stand between the justice of God and the whole human race.

He is no mere dying man like an earthly high priest, but clothed with "the power of an endless life."

He was not made after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the oath of God himself, "a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

He hath not entered into the tabernacle made with hands, with the blood of bulls and goats, "but with his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

He is not one among many, like earthly high priests, but is alone in his own single, unequaled majesty, "the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

He does not fill a delegated office, like earthly priests, but fulfills his own office, and that so perfectly that he "is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him."

He needs not daily, as earthly priests, to seek forgiveness for his own sins, but is "holy, harmless, and undefiled, and separate from sinners."

He does not minister afar off from God, like earthly priests, but is already "made higher than the heavens," and at the right hand of his Father pleads evermore for us.

He needs not to repeat his daily offerings, as earthly priests, but has made atonement, once, "when he offered up himself." And lastly,

He has no infirmity, like earthly priests, but is the Son of God, himself God, blessed forevermore - omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite! Who perfect as he? and what wonder that, thus perfect, he should govern as well as atone? - not only priest, but King - nay, bearing on his head the triple crown of glory - Prophet, Priest, King.[2]

At this point, the author of Hebrews had overwhelmingly proved that any of the Jewish Christians, tempted to revert to Judaism, had received in such a high priest as Jesus far more than they had given up through renunciation of Judaism. He does not stop here, however, but goes ahead with an analysis of certain other contrasts between Jesus and the Levitical high priest.

[1] C. Jerden, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), Vol. 21, Hebrews, p. 212.

[2] Garbett, Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1967), Vol. 1, Hebrews, p. 616.