… ²⁸ so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Layers of perspective are required to appreciate this hologram of what is pictured. Christ, in this passage, is spoken of as “having been offered.” Yet, elsewhere He is pictured as the priest offering up the sacrifice, which is none other than Himself (see vs. 26). With mere sinful humans, this would be intolerable because in offering ourselves, we offer a poor, inadequate sacrifice. It is true that we are called upon to offer up our bodies as living sacrifices, but that command is directed to believers who have already been forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ. Our sacrifices now have nothing to do with forgiveness, but have everything to do with service for God’s glory.

So Christ the perfect eternal Priest, offered the perfect, eternal sacrifice “to bear the sins of many.” The use of the word “many” doesn’t mean that He didn’t bear sins for all. We know from 1 John 2:2 that, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Certainly, His offering was not efficacious to everyone, in that it does not “produce” forgiveness for every single person. The Bible does not teach universalism, that all will be saved. Nor does it teach that Christ died only for the elect, as some teach. Rather He died for all people, making salvation available, and it will become efficacious at the turn of a heart, for the sinner who repents and lifts his eyes to the Lord (Romans 10:13, Daniel 4:34).

The use of the word “many” emphasizes the expansiveness of the Christ’s sacrifice. Not just for a few, and certainly not just for one. The literary interplay of “once” and “many” draws us to see the explosive grace of the singular event that moves out to the multiplicity of humanity.

Now Christ, having died once, will return again. And to emphasize the once-only nature of His sacrifice, this second coming has nothing to do with sin, nor another sacrifice. Christ will return for a great reunion with those who have been captivated by His sacrifice and therefore enthusiastically anticipate Him.

As real as the image of Christ we have seen so far in the book of Hebrews seems to be to us, it is still a picture. Words on the page, reflecting the verbal message given by the Spirit of God to the inspired writer. But, for us today, we see in our mind’s eye, as the Spirit enlightens us. But we do so by faith, daring to believe it is all true. We know, we believe something better than just the “mind’s eye” is coming. We eagerly await the One whom we picture by faith.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)