The Final Accomplishment
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy Hebrews 10:11-14
For much of the world and for much of history, sitting down meant you had finished your work. This is obviously not the same today in the Western world where most of our work is actually done sitting down.
The ‘standing to work’ and ‘sitting to rest’ contrast is here between priests who, in their day, continued to offer regular sacrifices in the Temple, and Jesus, who, having finished His work, is now seated. The priests stand daily in their duties but Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father. The old dispensation’s priestly work of offering sacrifices has to be constantly repeated. Jesus’ sacrifice is complete and unrepeatable.
The regular Temple offerings meant animal after animal had to be sacrificed and every new sacrifice had to be presented before God. Jesus died once and this single sacrifice was presented to the Father once. Jesus ‘lives to intercede’ (7:25) for us but He is no longer ‘working.’ He is no longer sacrificing or offering sacrifice. This has been done once and for all time. Jesus has taken His seat. His sacrificial work is completed.
Jeremiah had prophesied a new covenant. ‘“It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant … This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord … “For I will forgive their wickedness and I will remember their sins no more”’ (Jeremiah 31:32-34). By dying as a sacrifice for us, Jesus has established the new covenant with its promise of the complete forgiveness of sins. It does not need to be added to in any way and certainly doesn’t need to be repeated.
If you’re looking for assurance that you’ve been completely forgiven, don’t look at yourself. Instead, look at what happened outside Jerusalem’s walls on that Passover afternoon almost 2,000 years ago, and thank God for what was accomplished fully and finally on your behalf.
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