But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is . . . superior . . . since the new covenant is established on better promises. (Heb. 8:6)
Expanded Passage: Hebrews 8:3-7
Maybe you’ve seen it. There are videos of parents leaving their toddlers alone in a room with one cookie. They ask their child not to eat it while they are gone and promise two cookies when they return if the first remains uneaten. The child looks longingly at it. He touches it, holds it, squirms in his seat. He rolls his eyes and even gives the cookie a little taste. He is torn between the goodness that is right in front of him and the promise of something even greater if he can just hold off a while longer.
God established a new covenant for his people in Jesus. No longer would the ritual of sacrifice be needed to cover sin. The constant washing, isolating, and keeping a record of wrongs was no more because the blood of the perfect Lamb had covered sin. The old was gone and the new had come, making it possible for people to live in the resurrection life of Christ.Jesus is our Great High Priest. Though the Levitical priests had followed their calling and did their priestly duties as outlined by the Lord, nothing they did came close to the complete and perfect ministry of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
The eternal hope of the new covenant outshines everything else. Take hold of its promise.
Grab hold of the promise of the new covenant in Jesus.
Elizabeth Rhyno is wife to Scott and mother to three adult children and two sons-in-law. She is an ordained pastor and entrepreneur. She enjoys helping people deepen their intimacy with God and grow in joyful purpose.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
