What does Hebrews 8:1 mean?

The first few verses of chapter 8 are a bridge between two ideas. The point just made, through the end of chapter 7, is that Jesus is given a greater priesthood than any other man. This included references to Melchizedek, whose priesthood embodied the traits which make Jesus a better, more perfect representative for mankind. The upcoming statement is that the Old Testament system was meant as a symbol—a "type"—of God's ultimate plan. Hebrews 7:22–28 is used as a springboard to introduce ideas which will be more clearly stated starting in verse 7.

This verse begins to condense the writer's description of Jesus into a few core ideas. Jesus is morally perfect, so His service as a priest is perfect—this is the meaning of Jesus being "such a high priest." Jesus is superior because His role is superior, in the same way that Melchizedek was superior to Abraham (Hebrews 7:1–10).

Jesus is described as "seated," which is often used in ancient literature as a symbol of completed work. A major point of the next chapters is that Christ's work is entirely done and does not need to be repeated as do the Levitical sacrifices. This seat is said to be at the "right hand" of God, which symbolizes power, authority, and acceptance. Further, this position is said to be "in heaven," which implies that Jesus is as exalted as possible.