Hebrews 7:23-27 (NIV)
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since
death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus
lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able
to save completely those who come to God through him, because he
always lives to intercede for them.
26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who
is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the
heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer
sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the
sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he
offered himself.
Reconstruction of the altar of burnt offering at Herod’s
Temple. Unlike other priests, Jesus “does not need to offer sacrifices day
after day” (Hebrews 7:27).
(Hebrews 7:26–27) One final quality in verses 7:26-28 sets
Jesus off as superior to the old covenant high priests: he is “holy, blameless,
pure, set apart from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26; see Hebrews 4:15 and 9:14)
in contrast to their “weakness” (Hebrews 7:28) and their need to offer
sacrifices “first for [their] own sins, and then for the sins of the people” (Hebrews
7:27; compare Hebrews 5:2-3 and Hebrews 9:7). That Jesus is
“exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26) prepares the way for the topic of
chapters 9-10: he is the heavenly high priest of a new order. In addition to
his complete holiness, in which he is “unlike the other high priests” (Hebrews
7:27), Jesus “does not need to offer sacrifices day after day” (Hebrews 7:27).
His single sacrifice is completely effective: “once for all; he offered
himself” (verse 27; compare Hebrews 7:23–24). The phrase “once for all”
denotes “once for all time, never to be repeated,” not “once for all people.”
Thought for today:
Do I continuously present empty offerings?
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