THE TEMPLE IN HEAVEN
“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is SEATED at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.”
Hebrews 8:1-2 RSV
Two words in these verses challenge our attention because of the paradox, Hebrews 8:1 presenting our Lord as “seated,” whereas Hebrews 8:2 hails him as a “minister of the sanctuary,” that is, “a servant.”
Both seated AND serving, therefore, our Lord is contrasted with the temporal high priests who found no chair within the Holy of Holies, thus never being seated, and never permitted to remain except for a short period of time.
The seated and serving Christ, on the other hand, abides in perfect and eternal control of the ministry on behalf of man which does not require that he busy himself with this or that, but which service has already been essentially completed, requiring only his presence upon the throne of God to assure its perfect administration and efficacy.
