Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
-Hebrews 10:11-12 (NLT)
Being a priest back in the day was a tiresome job. It wasn’t because the work was physically demanding or anything. The only physical labor they had to do was performing the animal sacrifices as people came to the tabernacle/temple to atone for their sins. But here’s the kicker — priests were never allowed to sit down while on the job. Chairs weren’t even allowed inside. They were to always be standing.
But why was it a big deal to walk in and find the priest sitting down?
Sitting communicated that they had nothing else to do. By standing, the priest was showing that his work never ends, that there was unfinished business. The point was that despite the constant sacrifices, none of it can completely take away sins, so it must be repeated over and over and over.
In the book of Hebrews, the author references this old system and contrasts it with a new one. He says that our High Priest, Jesus himself, was the ultimate sacrifice, so the old way of doing things was out the window. Incredibly, full and final forgiveness has officially been achieved. Everything has been covered, and everyone has been cleansed, once and for all.
With this thought in mind, it makes me wonder why some Christians today struggle with the revelation that they don’t have to do anything else to earn God’s forgiveness. Just like the Jews that this book was written to, we often feel like we still have to earn God’s love and that we aren’t fully right with him because of our mistakes.
So how do we know that forgiveness has been 100% completely given? It’s simple — look at where our High Priest is now… Seated. Jesus wiped out all of our past, present and future sins, and then immediately took a seat. And you know what that means…
Business is finished. The Priest’s work is over. Jesus has nothing else to do.
