I've had the John, NIV Application Commentary on my shelf for several years and finally decided it was time to crack it open.
There are a couple of positives, above all it was very readable like reading a biography rather than reading a commentary. Also I found as Burge comes from a different theological perspective than me he would approach the text from a different angle which threw new and helpful insights my way. I especially liked his take on Jesus challenging the rulers of the Jews, he urged us to read the challenge assuming that we are always on the side of Jesus. We need to let the challenge stand in its own right, let Jesus challenge us when we take a side that is opposing Him as we sometimes do, or assuming that Jesus is on our side as a matter of course when this isn't always the case.However for me
the negatives far out way the positives, it reads like a biography in places because it is a biography I have learn't far more about Gary Burge than I expected or wanted too. Also Gary Burge places more emphasis on spirituality than truth, (where John's gospel sees them as connected) so Burge can share stories about people being affected by Roman Catholic mystics.
The final chapter dealing with Peter's restoration on the beach led Burge to share "our need" to go to a Franciscan monestry on the shore of Galilee so we can see a statue of Peter with Jesus on the beach to help us understand the meaning of the passage. I thought I was reading a commentary on John to help me understand the text. I'd give this one a miss if I were you! as readable but much more helpful is Bruce Milne's John in the Let the Bible Speak series, its compact but its all text.
God Bless
Stephen <><
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