Quite a few of the parents I know who have younger children (i.e., those who can’t speak yet), are communicating with them through hand signals. It makes great sense when you think about it. Why have the little darling screaming at 100 decibels while you’re trying to figure out what they want when you can teach them to communicate some basic needs and desires through sign language?
The boy in the picture (Reed) is one of our grandchildren. Move past his laser focused eyes and look at his hands. Bringing them together as he is doing is the sign for more. I’m not sure of the exact context here, but my guess is that he’s just been put in his high chair (his bib isn’t even on yet). What is on is his memory of what happens in the high chair and putting his hands together is his way of announcing that he’s ready for that to begin—and the sooner the better.
And why is he so eager? It’s pretty simple really—he knows what happens when he’s in the high chair, he likes that, and he wants more!
The Hebrew writer tells us that Jesus “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (9:28 ESV). His point in the context of Hebrews is that as our high priest, Jesus is far superior to the levitical high priests of the Old Covenant. They had sins of their own that needed to be taken care of (7:27-28), were part of a temporary priesthood (v. 23-24), and had to offer the same sacrifices over and over (9:25). Christ came and through the sacrifice of Himself, dealt with sin once and for all (v. 26). He made one appearance, offered one sacrifice, and conquered sin and death. As a result, when He returns—it won’t be to deal with the sin situation. That’s been totally taken care of by His first appearance. He’s coming back to get those who belong to Him.
And how will He know them? Well, they’ll be “eagerly waiting” for Him. It doesn’t say they’ll be perfect, have their act completely together, or possess a matchless moral character (and we’ll take all of this we can get). Still, what marks out His disciples is their eagerness for His return.
And if you think about it, it’s pretty simple. They have tasted that the Lord is good and they want more. For the follower of Jesus, His return is not to be the cause of anxiety, stress, or anything like that.
It’s all about more!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 