Review: The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus by D. A. Carson

Recently I was looking for something that did a good job at thoroughly and thoughtfully walked through the teaching on the coming of the Holy Spirit and so I asked my former Theology professor who pointed me to this work of Carson’s. Though over 35 years old, he told me it is still one of the best treatments of the topic. I was then pleasantly surprised to see it had been repackaged and reprinted. It an age when new books are released at an alarming rate, one that is in print over 3 decades after being written says something.

Having read much of Carson over the years, I knew that this book would go into great detail and had the potential to be a very heavy read. I found however as I worked through it that it was relatively easy to read and Carson’s points well built and not overly technical. Though not overly heavy and technical, the book is also not a lightweight full of filler or fluff. As anyone who has read much of Carson knows, he is no light weight, however this book certainly strikes a good balance between providing an in-depth scholarly walk through John 14-17 and yet remaining accessible to the serious reader.

In short, if you are looking for something to go deep into this part of the Gospel of John that is not overly technical, this is certainly the book for you. If you are preaching through the Gospel of John, this is a definite read.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.