D. A. Carson writes in his familiar fashion as he approaches John 14-17. The Prologue sets the scene of the Upper Room in John 13 as the author takes creative leeway to depict the disciples interactions with Jesus. The chapters then proceed to break down the following 4 chapters from John's Gospel. Each of these chapters begins with a text in sequential order and the author follows it by an exposition that leads to personal devotion. His exposition involves a theological treatment of the content of the text, drawing out the meaning of the passage.

Fortunately, the author does not leave it at a mere theological explanation. He looks at what this means for the reader, in our life today. The devotional value of the book is rich indeed as the reader is treated to text from hymns.

Carson offers a wonderful devotion that probes deep into Scripture without being only for the academically minded. Nevertheless, it is still for the serious student of God's Word. The author does not offer various counterpoints to difficult sections as he might in his commentaries on various text. Yet he is such a student of Scripture himself, we are provided insights beyond the surface at little mental expense of the reader.

D. A. Carson is one of the best New Testament scholars of our day. He's been writing books for years that have stood the test of time. Baker Books recently re-released his The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Evangelical Exposition of John 14 -17. What amazes me about this book is Carson's ability to clearly work verse by verse through the text of Scripture in a way that is engaging from the first page.

His prologue narrates the events of John 13, where Jesus washes his disciples' feet and Judas leaves the meal to betray him. This narrative captivated me and made me think through those events in ways I hadn't considered before. The awkwardness and confusion his disciples were likely feeling as Jesus washed their feet and revealed that one of them was a traitor became palpable to me. And this was only the prologue!

Carson has written commentaries and academic works on the Gospel of John. Having that same wit at a level that most people can understand is fantastic. He gets to the heart of these verses to show both their meaning as well as their continued relevance to believers today. Jesus' words carried instruction for how believers are to get on in the church age.

I recommend following the advice I received from my pastor many years ago: "Get anything written by D. A. Carson." You won't regret it.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in order to do this review.

Carson is a scholar and often writes for ministers or students. This commentary on Jesus' farewell discourse and final prayer as recorded in John 14-17 is designed to be available to the church in general. This book is a reprint edition of the original from 2008.

There were comments on several topics in the book that I really appreciated. Carson explores what it means that Christ “emptied himself” as noted in Phil. 2:5-11. He compares that to Jesus doing the Father's work and that he is the fullness of deity in Godly form. (Col. 2:9) Carson concludes that Jesus abandoned any use of his divine prerogatives and capabilities that he would not have had as a mere man unless the Father directed him to use them. He also writes about Jesus hiding his own glory and showing the glory of the Father in his words and deeds. (Loc 596/3637) That explains why the disciples did not realize they had been seeing the Father.

Another one was Jesus as “friend.” We sing hymns about Jesus being our friend. But Carson notes, while Jesus calls the disciples his friends, Jesus is not said to be their friend. (Loc 1760/3637) Carson warns of a chummy view of friendship and advises we preserve “the fundamental distinction between Jesus and those he redeems.” (Loc 1782/3637) He also reminds us that being a friend of Jesus is all about obedience. Carson goes on to explore the difference between friend and slave.

There was a very good explanation of what it means that believers would do “greater” works than Jesus. (John 14:12) Another good section was on Jesus' prayer for the unity of his followers.

Carson goes through this section of Scripture with careful attention to detail. The result of a very readable commentary that is full of insights I really appreciated. While Carson does write about the Greek from time to time, it is done in a way so that laypeople can easily understand. I recommend this book to Christians in general as it contains a scholarly and well thought out exploration of the Bible passages with the lay person in mind.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.