Book Review of “A Study Guide to John” by N.T.Wright

“For Everyone Bible Study Guide to John” N.T.Wright

with Kristie Berglund InterVarsity Press, 2009 Downer’s Grove, 144 pp

        Every biography or book blurb about Nicholas Thomas (Tom) Wright, says that he is “the former bishop of Durham”, so we might as well say it too. But his impact on Christendom is far greater than any “bishopric” could ever have. He is not only the most published Christian author of recent decades, with commentaries on many New Testament books, but also works of exploratory and investigative theology, such as Evil and the Justice of God, and Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. He also shows up in videos of his own on Resurrection and Evil, and even as a knowledgeable scholar and consultant in Day of Discovery videos.

        To be honest, I’ve always considered Wright to be a little bit on the edge. He sometimes takes me beyond my comfort zone, but he always backs up his positions with solid biblical scholarship and, especially in this Bible study, an unmistakable devotion to Christ.

        Wright takes John’s 21 chapters and divides them by stories and content into 26 individual studies. On the very first page he alerts us to the parallel between Genesis 1 and John 1—“in the beginning”. Wright shows us God’s creation, climaxed by the creation of humans, then the beginning of His “new creation” climaxed by the arrival of a very special human, “the Word”.

        We referred earlier to “devotion to Christ”. On the second page, Wright describes the format of each study: observation questions, interpretation questions, and application questions, “which help you discover the implications of the text for growing in Christ.”

        The sweetness of this study is firmly established in Chapter 1—“the Friend above all friends is coming out to meet them.” To quote Wright again, in Chapter 4 he says, “When we look at him hanging on the cross, what we are looking at is the result of the evil in which we are all stuck. And we are seeing what God has done about it.” A third quotation, this time from Chapter 8, says, “Philip doesn’t know what to do. Andrew doesn’t either, but he brings the boy with his bread and fish to Jesus’ attention…so often we ourselves have no idea what to do, but the starting point is always to bring what is there to the attention of Jesus.”

        My spirit was humbled as I read the comments, the questions, and the insights of this very enjoyable book. Every Christian should be thrilled as they read the Gospel of John, and this guide has been invaluable. One final comment from Wright is the last sentence of the book: “Pray that you might know what it means to follow Christ wholeheartedly—even when it leads to pain and suffering—and that your life might be a faithful living expression of his love for all to see.”