Hebrews 8:1–13
Hebrews 8:1–13 (NKJV)

1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

2a Minister of the [a]sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

3For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.

4For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;

5who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

6But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

A New Covenant

7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

8Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

9not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.

10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

11None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

13In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 9:22
Hebrews 9:22 (NKJV)

22And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Psalm 103:12
Psalm 103:12 (NKJV)

12As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Scripture readings

Devotional 📖

Hebrews 8 shows us that Jesus is our High Priest and the Mediator of this new covenant.

It’s important we look at Priesthood in the Old Testament to understand the role Jesus now plays as our High Priest and Mediator.

The levitical priesthood was set up to atone for those who broke the commandments and the 613 additional laws, as we spoke about briefly in the previous lesson. The book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy show us all the sacrifices that they had to offer to ask God to forgive their sins.

Why a sacrifice?

In the government of God, we see that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). In the garden of Eden, God took the life of the animal and skinned it to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. It was the first sacrifice for sins and this continued to be the system by which humans could atone for their sins.

The Old Covenant was only a shadow of the things to come, it could not make the people perfect. The word says the blood of bulls and goats cannot fully take away the consciousness, the desire, the awareness of sins. It can cover our shame temporarily but not cleanse us of our sins. Jesus is the only one whose sacrifice completely removes consciousness of sins, because His perfect blood cleanses us not only of our outward sins but the perverseness of our minds, souls and hearts. His obedience to God and complete fulfilment of the will of the Father made Him the perfect sacrifice to atone for sin. He walked without sin so was able to atone for the sins of others. The perfect One is able to perfect those who come to the Father through His sacrifice. 

Unlike the Old Covenant, which reminded people of their sins at the time of the yearly sacrifice, Jesus only had to atone once.

Hebrews 9:27 - 'And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, '

After the fall, it was appointed that men should only die once, and then there will be a final judgment. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, is fully God and fully man, meaning He only needed to pay this price once. 

Jesus then rose and is seated at the right hand of the Father and makes intercession for us. This means that He is the go-between between us and God. For those who believe in Him and His sacrifice, they receive the mercy of God and are made in right standing with Him.

Jesus is our mediator which means we can come to the throne of God boldly and not cowering and ashamed. He knows what it means to be tempted, He understands the frailty of the human flesh and though He was without sin, can sympathise with our weakness. 

Come to Him boldly today.

Prayer 🙏

Jesus, thank you for being my Mediator and High Priest. Thank you that because of your sacrifice, I can come before the Father. Thank you for the cross. I bring to you all shame, sin and weaknesses and I ask for your grace to help me in this time of need. 

I love you Jesus.

In Jesus name, Amen.