Hebrews 1:1-3

The Heavenly Ministry of God’s Son, Our High Priest (Hebrews 8:1-3 ).

Hebrews 8:1 ‘Now in the things which we are saying the chief point is this: We have such a high priest, who has taken his seat on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,’

He first reiterates all that he has been saying by bringing out the chief point (or ‘the whole sum’), and that is that we have such a High Priest as has been described in Hebrews 7:26-28 and that He has sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (compare Hebrews 1:3). He was thus in His perfect manhood invested with God’s full authority, and given permanent unfettered access, in order to perform His functions in Heaven. The idea is based on Psalms 110:1 where the priest after the order of Melchizedek Psalms 110:4) is to take his seat at God’s right hand to await the subjection of everything to himself.

‘Who has taken His seat.’ His taking His seat confirmed that His sacrificial offering of Himself has been accepted and that He had therefore now no need to stand to minister before God. But it also indicated that He had taken a position of unique and all-prevailing authority. For ‘the throne’ by which He sat down is emphasised here, in contrast with Hebrews 1:3 where no throne is mentioned, although a similar overall idea was in mind. That is because there the emphasis was more on the purification. Here it is on His receiving great authority. From this new position of authority He can now plead (legally speaking) our cause before God, having done all that was necessary for our salvation (Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 2:9-11; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 7:27), having been fully prepared and fitted for the responsibility He now has (Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:8-9; Hebrews 7:26), and being in Himself all-sufficient. He is the royal priest par excellence.

‘Such a High Priest.’ This probably indicates such a High Priest as is described in Hebrews 7:26-28 and in this verse, Who, in His perfect Manhood and High Priesthood, has now taken His place of final glory and honour as both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).