Jesus Provides a Greater Covenant

 

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 holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Hebrews 8:1–7 ESV).

 

When we come to today’s reading we find another example cited by the writer of how Jesus is greater than anything before. In the last two verse of this section he says that Jesus a “more excellent ministry” that was a result of the “old covenant” (v. 6). Further he writes that the reason for this new covenant is the first one had faults. He says this in regard to the first covenant not being “complete.”

 

Perhaps a definition of “covenant might be helpful at this point. A search of definitions provides us with this explanation:

 

A covenant is a formal, solemn, and binding agreement, promise, or contract between two or more parties. It often implies a deeply personal or sacred commitment, going beyond a mere contract to create a lasting relationship or pledge. Covenants are frequently used in legal, religious, and international contexts, requiring specific actions or restrictions.

 

We see here that the reason for the need for this new covenant is that we have now been given a better mediator. Previously in the old covenant it was dependent on the works of the Law. No one was able to keep that covenant until Jesus. So, when Jesus comes, He is the mediator of a "better covenant," which is established on superior promises and a higher ministry in heaven rather than an earthly tabernacle. This new covenant replaces the obsolete, external Mosaic law with an internal transformation—writing God's laws on hearts—providing complete forgiveness.

 

There are some key components in this covenant that we should both understand and appropriate. First, we now have a superior High Priest. Jesus is the High Priest seated at the right hand of God, serving in the heavenly sanctuary—the "true tabernacle" built by God rather than man.

 

Second, we now have superior promises. Unlike the Old Covenant, which focused on external obedience and was broken by the people, the New Covenant, predicted by Jeremiah, involves God placing laws directly into minds and writing them on hearts. It is God initiated and God maintained.

 

Third, there is a better covenant basis. The covenant is not merely "better" in quality but in its very nature, offering direct access to God, internal transformation, and full forgiveness of sins, rather than just covering them. God is not glossing over our sin. Through Jesus He is absolving them from us. They are paid in full, never to hold us accountable for them.

 

And fourth, the writer argues that if the first covenant were flawless, a second would not be necessary. Because the first was broken and temporary, it is deemed obsolete. This is the meaning behind Jesus’ declaration that He had “completed” the old covenant. Where none of us could ever do all that was required for the covenant to succeed, Jesus has already finished that work.

 

That is the hallelujah of our faith!