John 11:11 (DRB)

Passage

These things he said; and after that he said to them: Lazarus our friend sleepeth: but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

Nearby Context

John 11:9 Jesus answered: Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world:

John 11:10 But if he walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him.

John 11:11 These things he said; and after that he said to them: Lazarus our friend sleepeth: but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.

John 11:12 His disciples therefore said: Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

John 11:13 But Jesus spoke of his death: and they thought that he spoke of the repose of sleep.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "said", "after", "lazarus", "friend", "sleepeth", and "awake". 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 he walk in the night..." into verse 12's "His disciples therefore said Lord if he...", 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.