John 11:11 (DBY)

Passage

These things said he; and after this he says to them, Lazarus, our friend, is fallen asleep, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

Nearby Context

John 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world;

John 11:10 but if any one walk in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.

John 11:11 These things said he; and after this he says to them, Lazarus, our friend, is fallen asleep, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

John 11:12 The disciples therefore said to him, Lord, if he be fallen asleep, he will get well.

John 11:13 But Jesus spoke of his death, but *they* thought that he spoke of the rest of sleep.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "said", "after", "says", "lazarus", "friend", "fallen", and "asleep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "but if any one walk in the..." into verse 12's "The disciples therefore said to him Lord...", so "things" and "said" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "things" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.