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

Being the first among the best in terms of usefulness, we are bound to mention him whose name is already a household word: MATTHEW HENRY. He is profoundly pious and concise, solid and sensible, suggestive and sober, succinct and trustworthy. You will find that he shines with metaphors, is rich in analogies, overflows with illustrations, and abounds in reflections. He delights in appositions and alliterations, but his style is generally simple, evocative, and full of substance. He sees the meaning of the text directly and offers the result of a meticulous critical knowledge of the originals on par with the best critics of his time. He is deeply spiritual, heavenly, and beneficial, he finds the content of each text and from all of them draws enormously practical and accurate lessons. His is a type 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 commentary of the common man, the old companion of the Christian, suitable for anyone, instructive for all.

Every pastor should read Matthew Henry completely and carefully at least once. I recommend that you do so within twelve months of finishing seminary. Start at the beginning, and aim to go through the land from Dan to Beersheba. You will acquire an enormous provision for your sermons if you read it with a notebook handy; thoughts will flutter around you like twittering swallows around a rooftop 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