Charles Ellicott Commentary John 11:23

"Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again." — John 11:23 (ASV)

Your brother shall rise again.—These words, spoken as they were by our Lord after the purpose of His journey, as expressed in John 11:11, and immediately before the accomplishment of it, cannot be taken to exclude the restoration of Lazarus to physical life.

At the same time, the form of the words clearly points, as Martha understood them to point, to the resurrection at the last day. They are chosen for this very purpose: to lead her from the passionate longing for her brother’s restoration and from a vague thought of the Lord’s power and will to restore him, to a wider and truer conception of what life really is, and to a realization of the truth that for a true believer in Him there can be no such thing as death.

This sign, like every other, is to be no mere wonder, nor is it to be limited to our restored life. It is to lead to the spiritual truth which is signified; and is to be for them and for mankind the true conquest of death by Life.