11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
Verses 11–14 set forth Christ’s present exaltation in heaven. He has finished His work on earth to the extent that no further work needs to be done on behalf of the believer. Another aspect of the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice is that no further sacrifices are needed after His work on the cross. Our Lord’s work as Priest is much superior to the Levitical priesthood.
10:11
And [on the one hand] every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
The Levitical priesthood never sat down. The tabernacle had no chairs and the priests were not allowed to sit down because there were always more sins that needed atonement. It was a perpetual but ineffective priesthood because it was never complete. The priests had to sacrifice for their sins over and over. There was no assurance of final payment for sins. Priests of the Old Testament stood while they ministered, indicating their work was never complete, but Christ sat down to indicate He finished the work of salvation.
which can never take away sins.
“Take away” is emphatic and means the complete removal of sins. The superlative sacrifice of Christ forever removed the need for typical sacrifices.
10:12
But [on the other hand] this Man [“this One,” Christ],
There is a marked contrast between Christ’s sacrifice and Levitical sacrifices. Our Lord offered one sacrifice, and that eliminated the need for any further sacrifice.
after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
The “one sacrifice” was Christ’s singular death on the cross. That one event had an effect that lasted “forever”; it was a once-for-all occurrence. He paid for sins past, present, and future.
sat down at the right hand of God,
The evidence that Christ completed sacrifice for sin is that He “sat down.” He is now seated at the “right hand of God” in His priestly function on behalf of believers (Ps 110:1 He 1:3, 13; 8:1). The final and eternal seating of Christ is an indication of His finished work for paying for sins. No other payment for sin is now necessary. His sacrifice had the effect of “forever,” for all time. His work obviated any further need for sacrifice. The seating or session of Christ is proof that His sacrificial work was sufficient and final to meet God’s requirements for our salvation.
The seating at the “right hand of God” is a position of supreme pre-eminence. The “right hand” of God is a metaphor for the place of power or authority. In this case, it means the place of pre-eminence.
PRINCIPLE:
Christ’s work on our behalf is sufficient for any failure the believer might have committed.
APPLICATION:
Jesus ceased forever the need to sacrifice again (He 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2). He sits there in perpetuity, never needing to make a sacrifice again for sin. The one sacrifice of Christ for our sins was sufficient for all time; this is why He could sit down and rest from sacrificing for sins anymore.
