Martin L. Smith, a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, writes that the author of John's gospel may have deliberately obscured the identity of the Beloved Disciple so readers of the gospel may better identify with the disciple's relationship with Jesus: Perhaps the disciple is never named, never individualized, so that we can more easily accept that he bears witness to an intimacy that is meant for each one of us.
Martin L. Smith, seorang anggota Society of St. John the Evangelist, menulis bahwa pengarang Injil Yohanes sengaja mengaburkan identitas "murid yang dikasihi" supaya para pembaca Injil dapat lebih mudah mengidentifikasi hubungan para murid dengan Yesus: Mungkin murid ini tidak pernah disebut namanya, tidak pernah diindividualisasi, supaya kita dapat lebih mudah menerima kesaksian keakraban yang dimaksudkan untuk kita semua.