Passage
He said these things, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him.”
John 11:11 (LSB)
Nearby Context
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
John 11:10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
John 11:11 He said these things, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him.”
John 11:12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be saved from his sickness.”
John 11:13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of actual sleep.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "said", "things", "after", "friend", "lazarus", "fallen", and "asleep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "things", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 10's "But if anyone walks in the night..." into verse 12's "The disciples then said to Him Lord...", so "said" and "things" 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 "said" and "things" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.