As the old adage goes, knowing one's audience is the key to success. The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series, of which this commentary is a part, understands this well. The series is intended for Catholic pastors and engaged laypeople, and is designed to “serve the ministry of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church” by providing an “in depth” study of Scripture that applies to “liturgy, evangelization, catechesis, theology, and personal and communal life” (9). The Gospel of John is a success for its audience because it stays within this scope. Clear, concise, and yet comprehensive, it is an “accessible yet substantive” commentary that illuminates the “meaning of the text for faith and life” (9–10). However, the faithfulness of this commentary to the aims of the series also entails that it will fall short for scholars who are looking for involved technical discussions, lengthy bibliographies, source critical debates, or a multitude of critical approaches.

The book is arranged into an introduction and exposition section. The introduction briefly treats the following topics: authorship, historical context, genre, structure and literary features, relationship to other writings (Johannine corpus, Synoptics), major theological teachings, and reading the Gospel today. It presents the various scholarly perspectives but doesn't argue for any particular point of view. The exception is authorship, where Martin and Wright tentatively suggest that the Gospel was authored by a disciple of John the apostle.

The exposition portion is broken into twenty-two subsections that roughly follow the chapter divisions of the Gospel. The layout is crystal clear. Each subsection is clearly demarcated by a heading and opening summary, and subsections are further divided into manageable segments of Gospel text. For each segment, there is a small heading followed by the Gospel text in bold font and demarcated with horizontal lines. Underneath the text are key references to the OT, NT, Roman Catholic Catechism, and Roman Catholic Lectionary. Below these references is the exegetical commentary, which in turn is followed by a brief section on reflection and application. The exegetical commentary is extremely accessible thanks to chapter and verse numbers placed in the margins next to the body of the exposition and the use of bold font within the exegetical prose to highlight any references to the Gospel text. The exegetical commentary is also supplemented with around sixty sidebars labeled either “Biblical Background” or “Living Tradition.” “Biblical Background” sidebars contain historical, literary, or theological background on the topics “John and the Jews,” “the Son of Man,” “sin in the Gospel,” and “the biblical promise of the Holy Spirit.” “Living Tradition” sidebars contain snippets from church tradition, including “Pope Francis on Christ's mercy” and “Saint Ignatius on hungering for the bread of God.”

Wright and Martin's exegesis is sound, comprising both historical and literary criticism, and showing an awareness of the key primary sources and scholarly perspectives. The writing style is accessible and clear. While the volume's brevity requires that many details be left out, the important information is there and related well to the overall narrative of the gospel. For example, for John 9 the contrast between the blind man and the invalid of John 5 isn't mentioned, and the reader is referred to a brief paragraph in the introduction for the historical context of aposynagōgos, but the relevant background is provided, the dynamics of the scene are well explained, and the themes of light, darkness, sin, and blindness are skillfully connected to the overall context of the Gospel. One should be aware that the exegesis is from a Catholic perspective and is intended primarily for Catholics (another aim of the series); this is reflected in the higher proportion of citations from Catholic scholars and in the sacramental interpretations of passages such as John 6:51 and John 3:5.

Overall, this is a solid commentary that is appropriate for pastors, engaged laypeople, and the undergraduate classroom. Wright and Martin's The Gospel of John is an excellent illustration of the potential riches of “scholarship illuminated by faith” (9).