He told them
Jesus is addressing His disciples, who often struggled to understand His teachings and actions. This moment is a teaching opportunity, as Jesus prepares them for the miracle they are about to witness. The disciples' understanding of Jesus' mission and identity is gradually being revealed through His words and actions.

Our friend Lazarus
Lazarus is identified as a friend, indicating a personal relationship between him and Jesus. This personal connection highlights Jesus' humanity and His capacity for friendship and love. Lazarus, along with his sisters Mary and Martha, were known to be close to Jesus, as seen in other Gospel accounts. This relationship sets the stage for the emotional depth of the miracle that follows.

has fallen asleep
The use of "fallen asleep" is a euphemism for death, common in both Jewish and early Christian contexts. This metaphor reflects the belief in the temporary nature of death for believers, as sleep implies an eventual awakening. This language is consistent with other scriptural references, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, where Paul uses similar terminology to describe the death of believers.

but I am going there
Jesus' decision to go to Bethany, despite the danger posed by the Jewish leaders, underscores His commitment to His mission and His love for Lazarus. This journey is significant, as it takes place shortly before His final entry into Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the events leading to His crucifixion. Jesus' willingness to face danger for the sake of His friend foreshadows His ultimate sacrifice for humanity.

to wake him up
This phrase indicates Jesus' intention to raise Lazarus from the dead, demonstrating His power over life and death. The act of "waking up" Lazarus serves as a powerful sign of Jesus' divine authority and prefigures His own resurrection. This miracle is a pivotal moment in the Gospel of John, as it leads to increased belief among some and heightened opposition from others, ultimately contributing to the decision to arrest and crucify Jesus.

Jesus had just finished teaching the disciples that walking in the light of God’s will keeps a person from stumbling (John 11:9-10). His words about daylight and purpose anchor everything that follows. The Lord acts with precision, never rushed or late—an echo of Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.” What He is about to do with Lazarus flows straight out of that unbroken divine timetable.

• Jesus draws His followers into His plans, just as He later promises, “I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

• He speaks plainly, reinforcing the pattern seen in Mark 4:34 where He explains all things privately to the disciples. The clarity underscores His authority and their need to trust Him even when details stretch their understanding.

• By saying “our friend,” the Lord identifies with Lazarus and with the disciples at the same time. Friendship with Christ is covenantal, illustrated again in John 15:13-14 where He lays down His life for His friends.

• This relationship is personal and literal; Bethany’s household is not a parable but a historical family beloved by Jesus (John 11:5). The warmth points to Proverbs 18:24, “There is a friend who stays closer than a brother.”

• Scripture often describes death for believers as sleep—a temporary state before bodily resurrection. Stephen “fell asleep” in Acts 7:60; Paul writes, “God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

• Jesus is not using euphemism to soften reality; He is revealing heaven’s perspective. Physical death is real yet impermanent, anticipating Daniel 12:2: “Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.”

• The trip to Bethany is deliberate. Earlier He said, “Let us go back to Judea” (John 11:7), despite threats against His life. Courage and compassion intertwine, fulfilling the mission statement of Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

• His movement also builds the disciples’ faith: “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:15). Every step is calculated for God’s glory and their growth.

• Jesus means literal resurrection. He will soon declare, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). Earlier miracles preview this power: Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:41-42) and the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:14-15).

• Raising Lazarus prefigures the universal promise, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25). It also foreshadows His own empty tomb and the future awakening of all who belong to Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Jesus’ statement in John 11:11 threads together timing, revelation, friendship, the true nature of death, purposeful mission, and resurrection power. He speaks out of perfect knowledge and unwavering love, turning a grave into a staging ground for glory and demonstrating that, in His hands, death is only sleep awaiting His waking voice.

His words "our friend" gently remind them that Lazarus was their friend as well as His, for they as well as He had probably been welcome guests in the well-known house.

The fact of our Lord's knowledge of the death of Lazarus is stated by St. John without any explanation. Prom his point of view it could need none. He who needed not that any should testify of man, because of His own self-knowledge of what was in man (John 2:25), needed not that any should testify of what had passed in the chamber of His friend.

For the idea of sleep as the image of death, comp. Notes on John 8:51, Matthew 9:24, and 1Thessalonians 4:14. It is not unfrequent in other passages of both the Old and New Testaments, and, from the time of Homer downwards, poets have spoken of sleep and death as twin-sisters. . . .