The Smell of a Charcoal Fire

Friday, April 04, 2014       The Smell of a Charcoal Fire

John  21:     9-14

One of my favorite scenes in the Bible is Jesus sitting by the charcoal fire on the beach cooking fish and bread for his friends. That scene speaks volumes to me about how Jesus can and will provide for my every need, and of the intimacy Jesus desires to share with me. Thinking of Jesus on the beach, I recall Revelation 3:20:  “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

John tells us there were 153 fish in their nets, which was a huge catch. Jesus had already commissioned the disciples, and he was going to further amplify that charge. Perhaps Jesus wanted the disciples, and us, to fully appreciate that when we give ourselves completely to God, we can count on God providing exceedingly for our every need: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38).

I believe Peter went back to fishing because he just needed to get out of Jerusalem and try and process all that had happened. He was riding a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, he was ecstatic that Jesus was risen, that he had defeated death. He was also overwrought with guilt. He had publically proclaimed his loyalty to Jesus, but he ended up denying he even knew Jesus. Not once, but three times! Those denials took place as he warmed himself over a charcoal fire. When Peter got to the beach, he found Jesus cooking fish and bread over a charcoal fire. The scent of that burning charcoal ignited Peter’s memory of standing by another charcoal fire. Jesus was cleaning Peter’s wound in preparation for the healing that will come in the next passage.

Like Peter, I need to meet Jesus at dawn. I need to hear what he has to say to me. I also need Jesus to clean and heal my wounds. Do you?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.