This elegantly written, section-by-section, verse-by-verse commentary gives primary attention to the Gospel of John in its present form rather than to the sources or traditions behind it.

Since J. Ramsey Michaels takes seriously the Gospel's claim to be the work of someone very close to Jesus - the "disciple whom Jesus loved" - he assumes it to be a testimony to events that actually took place in the life of Jesus. At the same time, his commentary places as much (or more) emphasis on the Gospel's literary character and its theological contribution to a larger Christian community, both in its own time and up to the present. Michaels shows John to be a unified composition, intertwined with but not dependent on the other three Gospels, drawing sometimes on their traditions and at other times on earlier traditions unknown to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Seventeen years in the making, synchronic in approach, reflecting fifty years of classroom teaching, packed with fresh insights, and displaying a great deal of independent judgment, this landmark commentary should prove to be highly useful not only to scholars and students but also to its main target audience of pastors.