Peter and the Charcoal Fire

Is there a smell that you immediately associate with a place or a particular memory? Some smells remind me immediately of our time in Türkiye. Roasted chestnuts bring me back to winter evenings teaching in Ankara. And there’s also the smell of fish, anchovies by the hundreds sitting on ice, paired with the sound of a hawker yelling hamsi! What smells bring you back to a particular place.

In John 18, Peter denies Jesus. Peter is asked outright if he is one of Jesus’ disciples, and he flat out says no. Three times. He does so warming himself by a charcoal fire (John 18:18).

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus appears to several of His followers. On one such occasion, Jesus appears to seven of His followers while they are out fishing. They haven’t caught anything all night. Skunked (as we would say in my family). Jesus appears, though unrecognizable to them, and invites them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. They do so and find 153 large fish.

Peter jumps into lake and swims to shore upon realizing that the stranger on the shore is Jesus.

When Peter and the others get to shore, Jesus is already cooking breakfast.

Upon a charcoal fire.

I wonder if the smell of the charcoal fire brought Peter back to his denial of Jesus. I wonder if he could smell that charcoal fire from the boat, before the miraculous catch of fish. Jesus restores Peter, sends him to feed His sheep.

I’m sure Peter smelled charcoal fires in the years to come. I wonder if each time he did, he remembered his denial and his restoration. I wonder which of the two scenes prevailed in his memory. Or if both memories were wrapped together, so that Peter would never remember his denial without remembering his restoration. That indeed would be a gracious gift from the Lord.

Thanks for reading. Blessings on your holy week.

Andy