BIBLE and INTERPRETATION
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN A Theological Commentary David F. Ford
In this comprehensive theological commentary, leading Christian theologian David Ford invites readers into a fresh, profound en- counter with Jesus through the Gospel of John. This commentary will appeal to a wide audience, including pastors, church leaders, and other readers interested in the intersection of theology and spirituality. It will also be of interest to professors and students doing research on John and the reception of the Gospel in Chris- tian theology.
DAVID F. FORD (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Selwyn College. His publications include Meaning and Truth in 2 Corinthians (with Frances Young), Self and Salvation: Being Transformed , Christian Wisdom: Desiring God and Learning in Love , and The Shape of Living .
FROM THE BOOK John is a Gospel of abundance. The prologue first sounds this note; the first sign that Jesus does turns a huge amount of water into good wine; the Spirit is a wind that blows where it will and is given “without measure” (3:34); the “living water” that Jesus gives is “a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (4:14); when Jesus feeds five thousand with five loaves, there are twelve baskets of fragments left over; through Jesus there is abundance of glory, healing, light, life, truth, fruitfulness, joy, and love; the last sign that Jesus does brings about a large catch of big fish; and John’s closing sentence responds to the impossible task of writing all that could be said about what Jesus did: “If every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not con- tain the books that would be written” (21:25).
NOVEMBER 2021 • 496 pp. • cloth • $52.99 • 9781540964083
“A commentary of rare value that is not only immensely inspiring in its own terms but points constantly to the un- searchable depths of the passages on which Ford comments. It is a truly Christ-centered and Spirit-breathing work.” —JUSTIN WELBY, archbishop of Canterbury “With wonderful use of music and poetry David reintro- duces us to the unequaled excitement of the Jesus John wanted us to know, to love, to follow, to hope in. A mag- nificent commentary on a magnificent gospel.” —MARY M c ALEESE, president of Ireland, 1997–2011 “This beautiful, generous commentary is the fruit of many years of ‘reading, thinking, trusting, praying, and living John.’ It acknowledges the wounds of John’s reception history and the darkness that continues in the community gathered around Jesus. Yet it confidently welcomes read- ers into the ‘deep plain sense’ of John’s Gospel, where they can continue to be challenged and abundantly fed.” —AMY PLANTINGA PAUW, Louisville Presbyterian Seminary
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