Slices
Prepare
Look back over your reflections in these eight chapters. Have you been captivated by the ascended Jesus? What has made the most impact?
Bible passage
The high priest of a new covenant
8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: we do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’ 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
‘The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbours,
or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.’
13 By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Explore
We attend a dress rehearsal, but the real thing is yet to come. Refugees living in a camp hope for something better than their temporary home. A couple engaged to be married know the best is yet to come. Until Christ’s death, God’s people unknowingly had to settle for the second best. Jesus has made it possible to enjoy a taste of the best NOW. But the very best in eternity is yet to come.
Verses 8 to 12 are a direct quote from Jeremiah 31:31–34 and go back to the time when Jeremiah’s home city, Jerusalem, was about to be razed to the ground and its inhabitants taken as captives to Babylon. They had disobeyed God. His words, through Jeremiah, offered future hope of transformed lives, an assurance of truly knowing God (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Their sins would be forgiven, in a way they’d never experienced before. (See also 10:16,17.)
That time has now come. Jesus, seated as a priest to the right of his Father (v 1), serves to make purification for sins (1:3), interceding for us (7:25) and offering forgiveness written in a new way, in minds and hearts. We, like the readers, can experience this NOW. But the very best is yet to come (v 13).
Respond
The writer has been constantly urging readers to persevere and embrace a confident hope, expecting the best. Tell God what you think about this. Be thankful!
Deeper Bible study
Thank God for the forgiveness you have because of the death of Jesus in your place.
In verse 1, the writer refers to Psalm 110:1 for a second time, repeating his earlier claim that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God’s throne. This implies that he rules the universe with the power and authority of God. There is something else, though, that is initially counterintuitive. As we noticed yesterday, Jesus lives for ever to intercede for us. Although he has sat down in God’s presence, he has an ongoing ministry. This is the subject of this chapter.
The writer compares Jesus’ ministry with that of the priests in the Temple or tabernacle and shows it to be superior on two counts. First, his ministry is in a superior sanctuary not made by human hands. Those human-built sanctuaries are symbolic, pointing to the true sanctuary built by God. Second, his ministry is superior because he is mediator of a superior covenant, the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah.1 Verses 8–12 contain the longest Old Testament quotation in the New, introduced and concluded with two remarkable statements. That God announced a new covenant implies that there is something lacking in the old one (v 7) and, more starkly, by calling it ‘new’, God has made the first one obsolete (v 13).
The problem with the old covenant was that the people could not keep it – they did not remain faithful. The benefits of the new one include, first, God’s writing his laws not on stone but on our hearts and, second, God’s promise, ‘I ... will remember their sins no more’ (v 12). Forgetting is a human weakness to which God is not subject. God does not forget our sins; rather, he wills to remember them no more. Once forgiven, they will never be brought up again.
This chapter brings new significance to part of the Old Testament. Take some time now to think through the implications of this. The exaltation of Jesus changes everything.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Proverbs 3,4; Psalm 89
Pray for Scripture Union
SLAM Llan M, running this week in South Wales, is a sports focused holiday for Faith Guide groups. Please pray for the Faith Guides and the groups who attend, that this will provide a fantastic opportunity for them to deepen their relationships and to enhance their year-round ministry.
Need some support in reaching the 95?
Find out what’s happening in your local area and get in contact with your local team. We’d love to open up a conversation that helps you and your church connect with children and young people where you are.
