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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
But if any one say, that the disciples could not but have known that our Lord meant Lazarus's death, when He said, that I may awake him; because it would have been absurd to have gone such a distance merely to awake Lazarus out of sleep; we answer, that our Lord's words were a kind of enigma to the disciples, here as elsewhere often.
Cyril of Alexandria
They, not understanding the force of the words, thought that Jesus spake of taking rest in sleep, which when sick men can do, they generally experience refreshment; wherefore the disciples say: "It is not worth while to go and disturb Lazarus from his sleep, for it does not benefit a sick man to awake him out of sleep." And this they said, wishing to hinder Him from the journey by remarking that it was not meet to go into the midst of those murderers for the sake of doing something which would produce no good result.
Theophylact of Ohrid
"Even more," they say, "Your Coming is not only unnecessary, but also harmful to the friend. For if sleep, as we think, serves for his recovery, and You go and wake him, then You will hinder his recovery. Therefore, there is no need to go and wake him, for this is harmful."
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
The disciples replied, as they understood Him: Howbeit Jesus spake of his death; but they thought that He had spoken of taking rest in sleep.
Thomas Aquinas
1499 The Evangelist mentions their slowness to understand, saying, now Jesus had spoken of his death, since they did not realize this. Our Lord said to them, according to Matthew, "Are you also still without understanding?" And we read of the wise: "The wise man may also hear...and understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles" (Prv 1:5-6).
Bonaventure
But Jesus had spoken of death, yet they thought that he was speaking of the repose of sleep: whence they were deceived, as the Evangelist indicates, by the equivocation of sleeping. On account of which it must be understood that there is a fourfold sleeping, namely of sloth: Proverbs 6: "How long, O sluggard, will you sleep?" 1 Thessalonians 5: "Let us not sleep, but let us watch and be sober." Of guilt; Ephesians 5: "Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you"; 1 Corinthians 11: "Many among you are …
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