Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… 

Hebrews 10:11-12 (NIV) 

For most of my life, I have done my work sitting down, usually at a desk. It seems I am not alone. In fact, so many people spend so much of their workday in the sitting position that smart watches contain an app that will give you a nudge every once in a while to tell you to stand up and walk around a bit.  

It hasn’t always been that way. In much of the world and in much of history, people commonly did their work standing up. Farm workers would labour in the fields growing crops. Carpenters and blacksmiths would work, standing up, in front of their lathes or anvils. Soldiers would march all day long. It was only at the end of the day when your work was done that you would sit down and rest. 

This is the point the writer of Hebrews is making in today’s header scripture. The priests serving in the temple under the Old Covenant stood up for the work of performing their religious duties. Day after day, again and again, they offered the same sacrifices, because animal sacrifices ‘can never take away sins’ (v.11). Compare that with Jesus Christ, our High Priest who offered one sacrifice for all time (v.12) – ‘once and done’ as our American cousins might say. Then he sat down at the right hand of his Father, his work complete. Not that Jesus would never work again: we understand from Hebrews 7:25 that Jesus ‘always lives to intercede for [us]’, but his perfect work of sacrifice is over and unlike the other priests, he will never need to stand up and offer another sacrifice again. 

Jesus is the living proof that God has dealt with our sins and established the New Covenant with us once and for all. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, and we stand forgiven. 

Prayer 
Almighty heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus Christ who sits at your right hand, right now. Thank you for his sacrificial work that is over and done with, and his intercessory work as the King of your kingdom that is ever-present. Amen.