Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible - John (Volume I)

Being first among the best in terms of usefulness, we are bound to mention him whose name is now a household word: MATTHEW HENRY. He is supremely pious and concise, solid and sensible, suggestive and sober, succinct and trustworthy. You will find that he sparkles with metaphors, is rich in analogies, overflows with illustrations, and abounds in reflections. He delights in appositions and alliterations, but his style is, on the whole, simple, evocative, and full of meaning. He sees the meaning of the text directly and offers the result of a thorough critical knowledge of the originals on par with the best critics of his time. He is deeply spiritual, heavenly, and beneficial, finding the content of each text and drawing enormously practical and accurate lessons from all of them. His is the kind of commentary that should be placed where I saw it in the old meeting house in Chester: chained in the lobby so that anyone could read it. It is the common man's commentary, the Christian's old companion, suitable for anyone, instructive for all.

Every pastor should read Matthew Henry completely and carefully at least once. I recommend that you do so in the twelve months after finishing seminary. Start at the beginning, and resolve to traverse the land from Dan to Beersheba. You will acquire an enormous provision for your sermons if you read it with a notebook at hand; thoughts will flutter around you like swallows chirping around a roof at the approach of autumn. If you publicly expound the chapter you have been reading, your congregation will be amazed by the novelty of your observations and the depth of your thoughts, and then you can tell them what a great treasure Henry is. C.H. Spurgeon