Gregory L Jackson PhD is a confessional Lutheran theologian, pastor, and teacher. He received a STM degree in Biblical studies from Yale in 1973 and he earned a Master's degree and a PhD in theology at the University of Notre Dame in 1982.
Dr Jackson stated his purpose for this book in the preface:
“Our streaming video series in which we translated the Gospel of John from Greek caused people to ask for a book similar to the classes, in which I explained the verses as we translated them. We already have the large, excellent commentary by R.C.H. Lenski and the brilliant sermons by Luther on the Gospel of John. I want to let the scriptures speak for themselves, as much as possible, so brief comments follow passages, much like the class.”
One could read the Gospel of John in about 30 minutes, if one read it as if it were just another book. But the Gospel of John, like the rest of the Bible, is not just any book, but rather it is the power of God unto salvation. To realize the life-changing power of the Gospel of John, one must read it slowly and carefully, verse by verse, and work to prayerfully understand the spiritual meaning of the text.
Dr Jackson's book presents each verse of the Gospel of John, from the King James Version of the Bible. Each verse, or group of verses, is followed by a short commentary by Dr Jackson in which he provides religious, cultural, and historical background to the text and explains its spiritual meaning.
In writing a Biblical commentary, an author could produce a huge multi-volume opus full of arcane theological and historical references that overwhelm a reader. Or, he could produce a simplistic booklet that provides the reader with no useful insight into the text. I think Dr. Jackson found the sweet-spot because his commentary conveys the spiritual meaning of the text in a concise, compact manner that is readily understandable by an average layperson.
I would recommend this book for someone who wishes to increase his understanding of the Gospel of John, from a traditional Lutheran perspective
Dr Jackson discusses the problems of present day Christian denominations on his internet blog. Google ichabodthegloryhasdeparted for the URL.
He conducts a weekly traditional Lutheran worship service via the internet, the blog has a link to the broadcast site which also has archived broadcasts.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
