What does John 11:23 mean?

Several days earlier, Jesus received a message from Martha and Mary telling Him that His friend, their brother Lazarus, was sick (John 11:1–3). His response was that the sickness would not lead to death (John 11:4). Technically, His earlier statement can be translated to mean the sickness would not "end in" death, which makes perfect sense given what's about to happen (John 11:43–44). Either way, it's reasonable to think Mary and Martha would have been puzzled by that answer.

According to Scripture, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had experience with Jesus' teachings (Luke 10:38–42). This gives context to Martha's comments that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death (John 11:21), and that God would give Jesus anything He requested (John 11:22). Mary's treatment of Jesus strongly suggests she had deeply considered Jesus' message, and understood it better even than most of the disciples (Mark 14:3–9). The sisters' close attention to Christ means they would have been aware of His references to resurrection (John 6:39–40).

As with any follower of Christ, though, knowledge and faith didn't lead to perfect understanding. When Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise, she responds with a careful, conservative answer (John 11:24).