What is the meaning of John 11:13? They thought • The disciples had just heard Jesus say, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (John 11:11). • Because they often took Jesus’ words at face value, they assumed He meant ordinary rest—much like the crowd that misunderstood Him in John 6:34 and the Samaritan woman who puzzled over “living water” in John 4:11. • Moments of misunderstanding are common in the Gospels (Mark 4:13; Luke 9:45). They remind us how naturally we lean on human reasoning until the Lord opens our eyes. that Jesus was talking about actual sleep • Natural sleep is God-given for refreshment (Psalm 3:5; Proverbs 3:24). The disciples likely envisioned Lazarus recovering in bed, not lying in a tomb. • Their reaction shows a compassionate desire to let a sick friend rest, yet it also reveals how limited human perception can be when God is working on a higher plane (Isaiah 55:8-9). • Like them, we may misread circumstances by focusing on the immediate and physical instead of the eternal and spiritual (2 Corinthians 4:18). but He was speaking • Jesus often used everyday terms to convey spiritual realities—parables, metaphors, and figures of speech (John 16:25). • Here He deliberately chose the word “sleep” to describe death, just as He did when He raised Jairus’s daughter: “She is not dead but asleep” (Luke 8:52-53). • This language signals His sovereign authority; for the Son of God, awakening a corpse is as effortless as rousing a sleeper (John 5:28-29). about the death of Lazarus • By equating death with sleep, Jesus declares it temporary for those who believe in Him. He will soon stand before the tomb and command, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). • The same hope pulses through Scripture: Stephen “fell asleep” (Acts 7:60); believers who die are “asleep in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Physical death is real, yet it is not final because the Resurrection and the Life holds the keys (Revelation 1:18). • Lazarus’s resurrection becomes a preview of Christ’s own triumph and of the future resurrection promised to every follower (John 6:40). summary John 11:13 reveals a momentary gap between human assumption and divine intention. The disciples heard “sleep” and pictured natural rest; Jesus meant physical death—something He would soon reverse to display His glory. Their misunderstanding sets the stage for a miracle that proves death is only “sleep” in the hands of the Savior who wakes the dead to life. |
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