Customer Reviews

The Message of John (Bible Speaks Today)

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For those looking for a non-technical, yet cogent and informative exposition of the fourth gospel, you would do well to purchase this title. Milne was asked by Editor John R.W. Stott to keep in mind 'the hard-pressed pastor' when writing this commentary. Thusly, an eye towards application and sermon preparation is seen throughout this commentary. Further, the study guide in the back of the book is useful for either group study, or personal reflection as you mine the depths of John's gospel.

I award this commentary five stars for reaching its intended purpose in an excellent manner. For anyone looking for a helpful guide as you read the gospel of John, this book is highly recommended.

Bruce Milne: The Message of John. Here is Your King! With Study Guide. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press 1993 (with frequent reprintings), 352 pages.

This is, of course, not a commentary in the classic sense of the word, it is an "exposition", meaning that scholarly work on the text, while not entirely precluded, takes a backseat, allowing the author to draw out the meaning of the text both for its first century readers and for today's interested Christian (or for anybody else, for that matter). Bruce Milne offers an unusually solid text which is both intellectually satisfying and spiritually stimulating. He cleverly analyzes the text and often offers a series of sub-titles which could form the basis of an expository sermon. Anyone reading this book will become acquainted not only with John's Gospel per se, but also with the very woof and fabric of primitive Christianity as understood by evangelicals worldwide today. Milne follows the text section by section, often word by word, and often quotes the opinions of his expository predecessors to back up what he has to say; he is obviously well-read and does not limit his source-material to books by the like-minded. His treatment both of the prologue and of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus (and the resurrection) are particularly thorough and deserve much more than peremptory perusal. For leaders of home Bible Studies, this is quite an invaluable study guide, one which I have enjoyed reading a couple of times in addition to William Hendriksen's rather weightier commentary (New Testament Commentary Exposition of the Gospel According to John: Two Volumes Complete in One).

I read commentaries voraciously. Some read biographies....some read lots of application books. My favorite by far are commentaries. I've read literally dozens and dozens of them.

This is by far THE best commentary I have read on a Gospel book. I looked thru this book to find what seminary or college he teaches at. Wouldn't you know it.... he is "just" a humble pastor of a church!! Very scholarly and yet also very warm and pastoral.

Highly recommended. (also... James Montgomery Boice also highly recommended).

The Bible Speaks Today (BST) commentary series is an extremely good Bible resource. Under the editing supervision of J.A. Motyer (Old Testament) and John Stott (New Testament), the BST yields consistently high quality expository writing, tight exegesis, and sound Reformed Evangelical theology in a very easy to read format. Bruce Milne's commentary on the Gospel of John is a wonderful example of those features and I highly recommend it and other books in this series.

Milne is an organized author who expounds Scriptural passages with clear and concise commentary that never gets bogged down in technical analysis. His outline supports but never overwhelms the commentary, and the commentary never outruns the Biblical passage. Milne uses topic sentences to summarize key points in a verse or passage and lets his commentary flow from those leads. He is careful to weave his commentary into a narrative that follows the movement in John's gospel. Authors in other Bible commentary sets often touch upon a verse and then go far afield in an excursus that never really coheres with the passage. Still other authors tend to lose the reader in the exegetical weeds. With all that meandering, it's difficult for the reader to mentally summarize the key theological points of the section he has just read. "I just read three pages of commentary but what did I learn?" In contrast, Milne, and other BST authors, really excel at writing Reformed commentary that is both meaty and memorable. The editors do a remarkable job in delivering a series of Reformed theological commentary that can be truly characterized as "page-turners".

I would like to add one final recommendation. The BST has recently introduced a new series, "The Bible Speaks Today Theme Series", which is devoted to surveying major Biblical topics. This series really highlights the strengths of the BST editors--tight, coherent, readable commentary from solid Reformed theologians. Some "Message of" selections include "The Message of the Holy Spirit", "...Creation", ...Trinity", "...Resurrection", and "...Salvation". My favorite book in this series is entitled "The Message of Evil & Suffering" by Peter Hicks. The Message of Evil & Suffering: Light into Darkness (Bible Speaks Today) If you like Milne's book, you'll love this series as well.