Charles Ellicott Commentary John 11:13

"Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep." — John 11:13 (ASV)

They thought that he had spoken of taking rest in sleep.—These words rule out the thought that they really understood that Lazarus was dead, but did not want to appear to know it. Three of them, indeed, had heard our Lord apply the word “sleep” to death before (Matthew 9:24), but this instance of misunderstanding on their part takes its place with others of a similar kind, as showing that the surface meaning of words was what naturally occurred to them. (Compare Matthew 16:6-12 and Luke 22:38) It is not likely that all “the three” were present during this interview.

If it took place at Tellanihje, then the nearness of Bethsaida and the other towns of Galilee may have led some of the Twelve to visit their old homes. (John 1:48 and following) We can hardly imagine that Peter was present without taking a prominent part in the conversation, or that Thomas would have been in his presence the representative speaker (John 11:16). His absence may be taken as one of the reasons why the account of the miracle which follows is absent from St. Mark’s Gospel, which is, like St. John’s, the Gospel of an eye-witness. (Compare Introduction to St. Mark, p. 189, and Excursus E: The Omission of the Raising of Lazarus, in the Synoptic Gospels.)