Most scholars agree that the form John's gospel takes came about after careful literary arranging and theological layering. There is considerable evidence that the author and the Johannine community worked together to record a gospel that reflected both the life of Jesus that the disciples witnessed and the life of faith first-century Christians were living.

The so-called "farewell discourse," encompassing the extended portion from 13:31-17:26, reflects these two agendas. Biblical scholars have fits and fun discerning the various layers of influence and meaning that may be perceived running throughout this section. While some have concluded that the farewell discourse essentially repeats itself (with a variety of theological and social reasons as to "why") between 13:31-14:31 and 16:4-33, …