[2026. 10. 11.] The Lord Knows Our Weakness | John 18:12–27

[2026. 10. 11.] The Lord Knows Our Weakness | John 18:12–27

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 10. 11. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 52
본문: 요한복음 18:12–27
제목: 주님은 우리의 연약함을 아신다

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Today’s passage describes the scene where Jesus is arrested, taken away, and interrogated, and where Peter denies Jesus three times.

As I meditated on today’s passage, I remembered an illustration I once heard. During the Korean War, several men wearing North Korean military uniforms entered a rural church with guns and told the people gathered for worship that they would kill all Christians. They said that anyone who did not believe in Jesus could leave immediately. Many people stood up and left one by one, and only the pastor and several believers remained. Then the soldiers pointed their guns again and shouted, “We will give you one last chance. If you have nothing to do with Jesus, leave while we count to ten.” A few more left, and only a small number remained. Then the North Korean officer asked, “Are you prepared to die?” They answered, “Yes. We believe in the Lord, and even if we die, we will go to heaven.” The officer then ordered his men to lock the doors and said, “We are believers like you. We wanted to worship sincerely, but there were informers and false believers in the church. Now we want to worship with you.” And they worshiped together.

However, when I looked into it, this story is likely fictional. But there was a similar real event—almost the opposite. Many of you may remember it. It was the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999, in Jefferson County, Colorado.

Two students entered the school with guns and grenades and took students hostage in the library. They pointed guns at each student’s head and asked, “Do you believe in God?” If the student said “No,” they let them go. If the student said “Yes,” they killed them. Among them, 17-year-old Rachel Joy Scott and Cassie Bernall answered “YES” without fear. The gunmen mocked them and pulled the trigger. Both girls died instantly. This event shook the entire nation and sparked a wave of spiritual awakening, raising the question: “What does it mean to confess faith even at the cost of one’s life?”

A person’s true self is revealed not in peaceful moments but in moments of crisis. In ordinary times, we may appear faithful, say we love God, and declare we will follow the Lord in any situation. But when loss comes, when people look at us strangely, when our position, money, honor, or even life is at risk, what we truly hold onto becomes clear.

As we look at Jesus and Peter in today’s passage, may this be a time for each of us to examine our own faith.

 

1. Jesus did not hide the truth.

Jesus stands before Annas and is interrogated. In verse 19, the high priest questions Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus’ answer is astonishing.

[Verse 20] I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

“I have spoken openly to the world.” Jesus taught publicly in synagogues and the temple and said nothing in secret.

The phrase “spoken openly” is important. Jesus did not secretly teach one thing behind people’s backs and say something different in public. He spoke where people could hear, and He proclaimed truth where anyone could listen.

This carries a crucial meaning: Jesus did not change the truth to avoid danger. He was arrested. His life was threatened. One wrong word could make things worse. Yet He did not hide what He taught. He said, “Ask those who heard me.” Truth does not change depending on circumstances.

Even more striking is verse 23. [Verse 23] If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?

When an official struck Jesus, He said, “If I said something wrong, testify to it. If I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Jesus did not respond to violence with violence, but He also did not surrender truth to injustice. Gentleness and silence are not the same as accepting wrongdoing. Jesus did not attack to defend Himself, yet He did not allow truth to be distorted.

Last week, we mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who refused to remain silent or compromise under Nazi pressure. He insisted that following Christ is never a cheap path and was eventually executed. One of his famous statements is: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” This death is not only physical death but the death of self-centered living and the desire for worldly approval.

Following Jesus does not mean acknowledging Him only when it is comfortable. It does not mean calling ourselves Christians only when it benefits us. It means speaking truth when truth must be spoken, choosing integrity even when it costs us, and holding onto the Lord’s words even when people dislike us.

This does not mean we should criticize others harshly. Jesus spoke truth, but He did not hate people. Our faith must hold onto truth without abandoning love.

Faith is not genuine only inside the church. Who we are when no one is watching matters. Following Jesus is not only when people applaud us, but also when no one notices. May we all be such people of faith.

[Application] Where am I hiding the truth? Who is the person to whom I must speak truth in love?

 

2. When we fear people, our faith shakes.

While Jesus says before Annas, “I have hidden nothing,” Peter is questioned in the courtyard.

[Verse 25] Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you? He denied it, saying, I am not.

“You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” Peter answers briefly: “I am not.”

Peter’s denial appears three times in John’s Gospel. First, before the servant girl at the door. Second, before those warming themselves by the fire. Third, when a relative of Malchus says, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Peter denies again—and then the rooster crows.

The word “deny” comes from the Greek ἀρνέομαι (arneomai). In this passage, it appears as ἠρνήσατο (ernesato). It does not mean “I’m not sure” or “I don’t remember.” It means “to deny, to reject a relationship.” Peter is not merely avoiding a question—he is denying his relationship with Jesus.

But Peter did not intend to abandon Jesus from the beginning. Moments earlier, he drew his sword to defend Jesus. Yet now he collapses before a simple question. This is human weakness. Faith can collapse not only in great trials but in small pressures.

Peter’s problem was not lack of courage. He was passionate enough to draw a sword. His problem was trusting his own strength too much. Before Jesus was arrested, Peter said, “I will lay down my life for you.” But the one who thought he could protect Jesus by his own strength now says, “I do not know him.”

This is a serious warning for us. Instead of saying, “I would never do that,” we must pray, “Lord, You know how weak I am. Hold me.”

Many failures in faith do not begin with major events. They begin with small compromises. “Just this once.” “I don’t need to say I’m a Christian now.” “People might be uncomfortable—better stay quiet.” “I’ll speak later.” After one or two moments of silence, our identity can become blurry.

Therefore, we must rely on God’s grace. God’s grace not only saves us—it keeps us. We need grace not only when we first believe, but today and tomorrow.

We must not look at Peter and say, “Why was he so weak?” Instead, we must ask, “What would I have done in his place?”

Fear of people not only closes our mouths—it shakes our identity. But those who admit their weakness before the Lord can rise again. Not those who say, “I am strong,” but those who say, “Lord, I am weak,” and experience His grace.

[Application] What do I fear today? What small pressures in daily life are shaking my faith?

 

3. The Lord’s love is greater than our failure.

The final verse of today’s passage is short.

[Verse 27] Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

This short verse carries great weight. Peter denied Jesus three times. Moments earlier, he had declared he would die for Jesus. But when fear came, he said he did not know Him. Perhaps Peter did not realize how easily he could fall until the rooster crowed. At that moment, he likely realized how weak he was and how fragile his love was.

Perhaps we are like Peter. We seem faithful during worship but fear people’s opinions in the world. We say we love the Lord at church but hide our faith at work or school. We say we trust God in prayer but quickly despair when difficulties arise. And we become disappointed in ourselves.

But the amazing truth is this: Jesus did not abandon Peter. Jesus knew Peter would deny Him. Yet He called him as a disciple. And after Peter’s failure, Jesus did not give up on him. In John 21, the risen Jesus comes to Peter and asks, “Do you love me?” Jesus did not expose Peter’s failure to shame him forever. He came to restore Peter’s heart and renew his love.

Have you heard of Pastor Ahn Kyung-sun? He is about four years older than I am and still alive today. Many may not know his name, but his father and especially his grandfather are widely known in Korea. His father was Ahn Jae-sun, and his grandfather was Pastor Son Yang-won. Ahn Jae-sun participated in killing Pastor Son’s two sons during the 1948 Yeosu–Suncheon incident. Pastor Son Yang-won, in deep sorrow, worked to save Ahn Jae-sun’s life and eventually adopted him as his son.

Pastor Ahn Kyung-sun, Son Yang-won’s grandson, learned about his father’s past while preparing his father’s funeral in 1979 after reading the book The Atomic Bomb of Love, which recorded Pastor Son’s life. He discovered that he was the son of the man who killed the two sons of the pastor he deeply respected. He fell into deep identity confusion and pain. He suffered from lung disease, refused treatment, and lived in despair. But while in intensive care after a long surgery, Jesus met him. Through encountering Jesus personally, he was healed from deep wounds and was able to understand and forgive his father. He served as a pastor for 23 years and later became the first director of the Son Yang-won Memorial Hall. Since 2020, he has been serving in Burundi, Africa, caring for people with Hansen’s disease. His painful past did not become the final chapter of his life. He now lives sharing the love he received from the Lord and confesses that it is all God’s grace.

When we fail or sin, we often want to hide from the Lord. We feel ashamed, guilty for repeating the same mistakes, and afraid that the Lord is disappointed in us. But the Lord calls us even knowing our most shameful moments. He does not love us because we did well, nor hold us because we never fell. He knows who we are and loved us first. And when we fall, He waits for us to return.

Therefore, if anyone among us has failed or sinned, remember this: failure does not mean God has finished with you. This does not mean we treat sin lightly. We must repent and acknowledge our wrong. But those who repent do not need to remain trapped in their past failures.

God’s love is the love that bore the cross to forgive our sins and the love that lifts us to live again. Therefore, do not avoid the Lord because of shame. Bring your shame to Him. If you can confess your wrongs before Him with tears, the way back is still open. No matter how deep our failure is, it can never be deeper than the love of the cross. May you trust the Lord of love and rise again to live by faith.

[Application] What failure or shame makes me afraid or hesitant to come before the Lord? Will I trust the Lord who does not give up on me and return to Him in confession?

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.