[2026. 10. 4.] I Am He | John 18:1–11

[2026. 10. 4.] I Am He | John 18:1–11

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

 

2026. 10. 4. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 51
본문: 요한복음 18:1–11
제목: 내가 그니라

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Today’s passage is filled with intense tension. It is the scene where Jesus is arrested. In verse 1, after finishing the Last Supper and the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus went with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and He entered it with His disciples. [Verse 1] When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

What was the name of this garden? Across the Kidron Valley is the Mount of Olives, and at its foot is the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the place where Jesus prayed so earnestly about bearing the cross that His sweat became like drops of blood. It was also the place where He often came at night to pray during His ministry in Jerusalem. Therefore, it was familiar to all the disciples, including Judas Iscariot.

Judas, who betrayed Jesus, came there with a detachment of soldiers and officials sent by the chief priests and Pharisees. They came with torches, lanterns, and weapons to arrest Jesus. From the outside, it appears Jesus is helpless and simply waiting to be seized. But what unfolds in today’s passage is completely different from what we might expect.

Through today’s passage, I want us to learn what we must understand from the Jesus who is being arrested.

 

1. Jesus who governs every situation

Judas arrives at the Garden of Gethsemane with soldiers and officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. It is an urgent moment—if someone wanted to run, they would need to flee immediately. But surprisingly, Jesus does not run. He does not flee. Was it because He did not know why the soldiers were coming? No.

[Verse 4] Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, Who is it you want?

Jesus knew everything that was going to happen. He knew He would be arrested, interrogated, tortured, and ultimately die a painful death on the cross. If He knew everything, shouldn’t He have run? But Jesus does not run or hide. Instead, He steps forward and asks, “Who is it you want?”

The next dialogue appears in verse 5. [Verse 5] Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. I am he, Jesus said. And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.

When they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus responded, “I am he.” In Greek, this is “ego eimi” (ἐγώ εἰμι). I have mentioned this many times while preaching through John’s Gospel. How many times does Jesus use “ego eimi” to reveal His identity? Seven times: I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, I am the true vine. These are descriptive ego eimi statements.

But today’s passage uses the absolute ego eimi—without any descriptive phrase. This appears 17 times. Combined with the descriptive uses, ego eimi appears 24 times in John’s Gospel. In today’s passage alone, it appears in verses 5, 6, and 8—three times.

In John’s Gospel, this expression means far more than simply identifying Himself as the one they are looking for. What happens when Jesus says “ego eimi”?

[Verse 6] When Jesus said, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground.

Armed soldiers fall backward to the ground at Jesus’ words. Why?

Because “ego eimi” corresponds to Yahweh—the divine name God revealed to Moses in Exodus. Yahweh means “I am who I am,” the holy name of God. Therefore, when Jesus says “ego eimi,” He reveals the authority and glory of the Creator. Before Jesus’ divine self-declaration, they cannot remain standing.

Jesus is not helplessly seized by the soldiers. Instead, even in this moment, He declares that He is the Son of God sent by the Father—indeed, God Himself—and He walks the path of the cross by His own will and authority. He is not controlled by circumstances; He governs every situation under the Father’s plan.

Therefore, the scene of Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane is not a scene of weakness. It is the scene of Jesus sovereignly giving Himself to fulfill the Father’s will. The cross is not Jesus’ powerless failure. It is the path He willingly chose within God’s plan of salvation.

The same is true for us. Our life of faith is not something we do reluctantly because we have no other choice. We live joyfully and willingly because we believe that Jesus is God. If so, we must also make our own declaration: “I follow Jesus.” “I am a child of God.” “I am God’s holy saint.”

In our lives, situations arise that we cannot control. Problems appear suddenly, plans collapse, relationships become difficult, and the future becomes unclear. In those moments, we easily think, “Everything is over.” No. Look at Jesus in Gethsemane. In human eyes, everything seemed to collapse, but in God’s eyes, salvation was being accomplished. Just because we do not understand a situation does not mean God is not in control.

We cannot control every situation, but we can trust the Lord who governs every situation. Faith does not say, “I know everything.” Faith says, “I do not know, but the Lord knows. I cannot control, but the Lord reigns.” May you live today declaring such faith.

[Application] What am I trying so hard to control in my life right now? Can I place that issue into the Lord’s hands? What will I do?

 

2. Jesus who protects His disciples to the end

When Jesus said, “I am he,” the soldiers fell backward. Then Jesus again asked, “Who is it you want?” When they answered again, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus said:

[Verse 8] I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.

What does “let these men go” mean? It means, “Arrest me, but let my disciples escape.” Here we see Jesus’ heart. Even in the moment He is being seized, He does not think of Himself first—He thinks of His disciples and protects them.

John explains the reason in verse 9:

[Verse 9] This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: I have not lost one of those you gave me.

Jesus is the good shepherd who takes responsibility for His own to the end. In John 10, Jesus said the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Now in chapter 18, that word is being fulfilled. The good shepherd faces danger to save the sheep. Jesus is arrested to save His disciples. The disciples scatter and flee, but Jesus remains alone.

This is the gospel. What comes first is not that we protect Jesus, but that Jesus protects us. The grace with which the Lord holds onto us is greater than the strength with which we try to hold onto Him.

Our confidence before God is not our righteousness but Christ’s love in giving Himself for us.

We often think, “I must believe well. I must pray well. I must not waver. I must remain faithful.” These are important. But before all of that, we must remember: before we hold onto Jesus, Jesus is holding onto us.

Sometimes we become discouraged when our faith wavers. When prayer is difficult, when our faith feels weak, when our sins and failures make us feel abandoned. But look at Jesus protecting His disciples in Gethsemane. The disciples were still weak and would soon flee. Yet Jesus protected them.

Our salvation does not depend on our perfection. It depends on Jesus’ grace in holding us. Therefore, when we fail, we must not run away—we must return to Him. When we fall, we must not give up—we must take hold of His hand again.

[Application] Is my faith based on me holding onto Jesus, or on believing that Jesus is holding onto me? In what area must I rise again today by trusting His grace?

 

3. Jesus who receives the cup of the cross for the Father’s will

Now someone reacts first when Jesus is being arrested. Who is it? Peter. He draws his sword and cuts off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Then Jesus says to Peter, in the final verse of today’s passage:

[Verse 11] Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?

Peter tried to protect Jesus. From a human perspective, it was courageous. But Jesus stops him. Why? Because Jesus had another path—the path of the cross, not the sword.

Jesus calls this path “the cup the Father has given me.” What kind of cup is this? Not merely physical suffering. It is the cup of judgment that sinners deserve—the cup of substitution and atonement.

Jesus did not drink this cup because He lacked the power to avoid it. In Matthew 26:53, Jesus says He could call more than twelve legions of angels. He had the power to escape. But He did not. Jesus chose to drink the cup the Father gave Him. This is obedience.

The cross is not something Jesus suffered because He had no choice. The cross is what Jesus willingly embraced to save us.

During World War II, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer had the opportunity to remain safely in America. But he returned to Germany because he could not abandon his faith and community for safety. He was eventually arrested and executed in 1945.

In The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer distinguished between “cheap grace” and “costly grace,” writing: “Following Christ is not cheap grace obtained without cost, but costly grace purchased with the life of Jesus Christ.”

Beloved church, our salvation is not cheap. It was given to us freely, but Jesus paid with His life.

When we face hardship, we often seek escape. We want to avoid suffering, avoid loss, and change circumstances to our advantage. We do not need to love suffering. But Christians are not people who always ask, “How can things be easier for me? How can this benefit me?” Sometimes we must ask, “What does God want from me right now?”

The past two weeks were difficult for me. Because of the Deuteronomy passages shared during early morning prayer, God kept confronting me with sin, repentance, and integrity. At that time, I had just reapplied for Job Seeker Benefit. Previously, I had submitted a medical certificate due to wrist and arm pain from car washing and house cleaning work, and I received the benefit. This time, I again received a medical certificate from my GP and submitted it, and I was waiting for an interview with WINZ.

But every dawn, God kept confronting my conscience: live honestly, live holy, turn from sin. After early morning prayer on the day of the interview, I shared with my wife what God had put on my heart, and we decided not to go to the interview and to give up the benefit.

I often preach, “If you can take a loss, take it.” But I realized I was trying to avoid loss and deceive my conscience. I told the congregation to live honestly, yet I was living dishonestly. I repented. And the greatest repentance came when I asked God, “What do You want from me now?” God answered, “Do you really trust Me?” I saw my true self—trying to solve problems with human methods and relying on my own wisdom. I realized, “I do not trust God,” and repented of my unbelief.

In today’s passage, Jesus says, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” He knew how painful the cross would be, yet He chose the Father’s will.

There are moments when we feel the cup God has given us. It may be the cup of responsibility, forgiveness, service, surrender, conscience, or patience. In those moments, instead of drawing the sword like Peter, we must accept God’s will for us like Jesus. Faith is not demanding that God give us the path we want—it is trusting and walking the path God shows us.

[Application] What is the cup God has given me to drink? When I ask, “Lord, what do You want from me now?” what answer does He give?

 

 

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.