Abstract:
This article deals with the tension between the preaching of the gospel of Jesus (the preached Jesus) as a source of joy on the one hand and the critical questions of the theologian (the historical Jesus) on the other. In this field of tension the question arises: who Jesus is to us at this point in time. The author deals briefly with these two approaches. He pleads for caution against a rigorous confessional or doctrinal approach on the one hand and on the other an approach in terms of which only the historically founded may be stated. The author searches for a way where justice is done to the view that in Jesus we are confronted with the world of God, but where historical criticism is also taken seriously. In this quest Barth and Marquardt are used as partners in dialogue. The admission that the Spirit creates a bridge between God and man, guards preaching against petrification and opens the way to meaningful creativity. The author accepts that preaching in itself provides no answer, but creates a space in which Christ himself may enter to speak. This presupposition prevents an arrogant theology. The preacher and congregation pray that the Spirit of God enters this space to speak. It does not result in vague content, but leads the preacher to speak in a careful and humble way on Christ. The space is guarded by the diligent scanning of the witnesses regarding Jesus and by anchoring them in the books of Moses, the prophets and David. Through this testimony God enters into our midst.
