MINISTER/MEDIATOR. Hebrews 8:6-7 The ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ is “more excellent” because, as our Mediator, He can bring people to God, and the covenant truly works. This covenant rests on promises far better than rituals, temporary cleansing, and sacrifices that must be repeated continually. The second covenant exposes the ineffectiveness of the first.
Aaron’s priesthood was to fulfill the terms of the Old Covenant in the tabernacle, which was a shadow of the reality our Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished. He is superior in His person and qualifications to serve as High Priest. He is also superior in the place where He ministers, as well as in the nature and conditions of His ministry. He is not serving in a symbolic location but in God’s dwelling in heaven. There, He sits at the right hand of God's throne as both the Minister of the Sanctuary and the Mediator of the New Covenant.
These two aspects of Christ’s work complement each other and help us understand our position when we come to God. God dwells in the sanctuary, and as our Minister, He brings us near to God and all the blessings there. The covenant relates to our relationship and duty toward God. We need the Mediator to prepare us and make us suitable to meet with God. We are not dependent on a man to know God, but we have personal and direct access to Him because of Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant.
Hebrews 13:20 describes the new covenant between the “God of peace” and “the Lord Jesus,” who fully fulfilled the conditions necessary to establish it. This is an “eternal covenant” in which God has done everything. The “I will” statements in the following verses explain God's grace. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which flowed from His body at Calvary, is described as “the blood of an eternal covenant.” That is where believers are: “partakers of the heavenly calling.”
The first covenant could not “Settle forever, sin tremendous claim.” But the second covenant does because of the perfection of the sacrifice of our Lord; “Glory to Jesus, blessed be His name.” Jesus is both the Mediator and Surety of this new eternal covenant. We look to Him, trust in Him, receive all we need from Him, and are with Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven at the right hand of God, the Lamb in the midst of the throne, and our faith, love, and hope are all in Him. This is the crowning point—this is where His ongoing ministry is carried out. He is not like those of the past—He is far greater in Majesty. Unlike the priests who came before, He is also superior in His ministry. Provision was made in the sacrifices of old, but each sacrifice was only temporary. Our High Priest was both the “offeror” and the offering—a final, perfect sacrifice was made at Calvary.
Covenants among men are important to them, but those made with God are even more crucial. Our new covenant, established since then, is a superior one ratified by our Lord. It offers a better atonement through the blood of God’s Lamb—not just covering sin, but removing it completely. We have entered into the blessings of that covenant, which grants us eternal security.
Our High Priest in heaven sits on the throne because of the blood He willingly shed. We are seated with Him, not by our own claims, but because of the new covenant He established. Superior in every way, our Savior-King-Priest now offers all we bring to God. In the better sanctuary, we sit, forgiven and blessed. We live there with Him because He lives. The new and living way into God’s presence allows us to approach God in this manner. Believers in our Lord Jesus Christ desire to live consciously in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, constantly enjoying the blessings of the new covenant and the “better things” the Lord has provided.