It is interesting that the first Christian commentary on any text of scripture that we know about came from a so-called heretic, a second-century Gnostic named Heracleon, who wrote a commentary on the Gospel of John.9 Eventually commentaries, interpretive glosses, practical expositions, and homilies on texts became common among the Christian communities of the third and fourth centuries.
Guided Christian commentaries were essential to the Southern Baptist church i grew up in. It is interesting how thought leaders emerge even without centralized Church leadership.
