The Pointing Finger

What is the significance of proclamation? What is the meaning of scripture?

Karl Barth holds these two means of grace in a very high position. True proclamation and scripture are not mere human work, but God’s revelation. They speak of God’s presence in history and God’s future work.

However, as highly regarded as these gifts are, they are not an ends in themselves. Rather, their fullest function comes in pointing to Christ.

Barth quotes Martin Luther who makes an analogy of the modern day preacher and John the Baptist, “For we have John Baptist’s word and spirit, and we parsons and preachers are in our own time what John Baptist was in his time. We let John Baptist’s finger point and his voice sound: ‘Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.’ We deliver John Baptist’s sermon, point to Christ and say: This is the one true savior whom you should worship and to whom you should cleave."

Perhaps these points seem obvious, but I think they are often lost. Preachers and scripture are often raised to exalted positions, as if they are the end in themselves. While good preaching and the reading of scripture are invaluable gifts of God, they are not the end.

Like John the Baptist’s long finger in the Isenheim altarpiece, all we preachers are called to do is to point to the one and only savior.