Hebrews 10:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, to stand is the mark of one who serves. But to sit, as Christ does, is the mark of Him who is served.

Meanwhile every priest, set among the people, often offered the same sacrifices, which could never remove and cleanse sins...

For the priests were commanded to offer the same continual sacrifices, yet the loosing of sins was never accomplished by them.

Here again the Apostle makes a comparison and shows how great the difference is between the Hebrew priests and Christ. They stood like servants while performing the divine services daily. But He, Christ, having once performed the sacrifice, sat down as Master. Their sacrifices were many, but powerless to cleanse the sins of the soul, as has already been explained in various places. The sacrifice of Christ is one, but powerful and far stronger than those many sacrifices. For the Apostle says next:

Paul calls these sacrifices and offerings the same, because they are always offered for the same thing, lacking sufficient power for the pure and absolute removal of even one sin.

What precise circumstance does the Apostle here set forth as testimony to the exaltation of Christ’s high priesthood above that of the Old Covenant? It is that the priests of the Old Covenant continue to perform services standing on their feet, while Christ sat down at the right hand of His Father. This means that they continue to remain in a ministerial position, while Christ has begun to reign in heaven (compare Heb 1:3 above), having offered once for all one all-powerful sacrifice for human sins.

Thus the sacrifice of Christ destroyed the necessity of offering any legal sacrifices. In the same way, the lofty and fully effective ministry of Christ removes and makes unnecessary the ministry of the Jewish priests.

The latter perform their service day after day, offering the same sacrifices while standing, without the right to sit down (Deut 10:8; 18:7). Christ, however, offered only one sacrifice, and then sat down and remains at the right hand of God Himself. He does not interrupt this blessed rest by descending again for service.

Consequently, He has fully accomplished the sanctification of mankind and has made the further activity of the Old Testament priests entirely unnecessary.