He
said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”
John 11:11
John 11 [8.] The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”
John 11 [9.] Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.” He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”
John 11 [12.] The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
Meaning:
John 11:11 comes as Jesus prepares to return to Judea, where his enemies had recently tried to stone him. Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary, had died. Jesus speaks of his death in a gentle and surprising way: “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.” The disciples misunderstood, thinking he meant ordinary rest, so John explains that Jesus was speaking of death. The verse shows how Jesus views the death of those he loves.
- “Our Friend”
Jesus calls Lazarus “our friend,” including the disciples in his affection. Bethany was a village about two miles from Jerusalem, and the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus seems to have been a place of welcome for Jesus. Friendship with Jesus is offered to all his followers: “You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). When Jesus later stood at the tomb, he shared the family’s grief, and “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
- Death Described as Sleep
Describing death as sleep was known in the Old Testament and in Jewish speech, but Jesus fills it with new meaning. Sleep is temporary and is followed by waking. Jesus said the same of Jairus’ daughter: “The child is not dead, but is asleep” (Mark 5:39). In both cases the mourners knew the person was truly dead; Jesus was not denying death but declaring that, in his presence, death is not final.
The apostles took up this language for believers who have died. Paul wrote, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14), and called the risen Christ “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
- “I Am Going ... to Awake Him”
Waking someone from sleep is a simple task; Jesus speaks of raising the dead as if it were just as easy for him. He knew the danger of going to Judea, yet he went for love of his friend and for the glory of God. A few days later he stood at the tomb and called Lazarus by name, and the dead man came out alive. Jesus had already said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
The Significance of John 11:11
- Hope for Grieving Believers
Christians still grieve, but not “like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Calling death “sleep” does not make it small, but it reminds us that for those in Christ, death is a rest from which he will wake us. Paul could even say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
- Love That Takes Risks
Jesus walked toward danger to help his friend. True friendship and Christian love are willing to be inconvenienced, to go where it is costly, and to bring hope into places of grief. We follow a Lord who goes into the house of mourning, and he calls us to do the same.
Cross-References:
Mark 5:39: "When he had entered in, he said to them, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep.”" Jesus used the same language at the house of Jairus.
1 Thessalonians 4:14: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." Believers who have died are “asleep in Jesus” and will be raised.
1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep." Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours.
John 11:35: "Jesus wept." The Lord who calls death sleep still weeps with the grieving.
Conclusion: John 11:11 shows the heart and the power of Jesus together. He loves his friends, he grieves with them, and he speaks of death as a sleep from which he can wake them. For all who trust in him, death is not the end of the story. The voice that called Lazarus out of the tomb will one day wake all who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible