Two fires of embers

Sunday January 16, 2022

Two fires of embers

The servants and guards who were there, had lit a fire of embers to warm themselves, because it was cold. Pierre stood with them and also warmed himself. John 18:18

When they (the disciples) had come down to earth, they saw there a fire of embers with fish on it and bread. John 21:9

It is very cold that night. The temple guards have just arrested Jesus and, regardless of the time, the Jewish leaders question him harshly. Outside, a fire of embers is lit to warm those waiting : the guards who have gone to fetch Jesus, the staff of the high priest's palace, servants, and one man, Peter. He has been following Jesus for years, on the paths of Galilee and Judea ; witnessing the arrest of his Master, he followed him to this enemy place. It is also cold in Pierre's heart. A servant comes to ask him : And you, are you not one of his disciples ? He responds three times : I am not one of them. Then the rooster crows and, under the gaze of Jesus, Peter comes out to weep bitterly.

A few days later, on the shore of Lake Galilee, in the early morning, a man prepared a fire. A boat returns, with Pierre, his friend Jean and five other disciples. They worked in vain all night. The man advises them to cast the net one last time. The result is spectacular: 153 big fish. No doubt ! It can only be Jesus. On the embers, he has prepared the food himself, but he offers to add some of the fish caught. After the meal, it is the occasion for Jesus to speak to Peter, in the presence of John, and to settle definitively the sad episode which took place around the other fire.

As for Peter with this ember fire, the Lord can allow a material detail to take us back to a difficult scene of the past : a fault committed and not settled, a secret wound that has not healed well, a hidden bitterness... The Lord resumes the sore spot to heal it. He does this by manifesting gentleness and grace. Even if, at first, this backward step hurts, let the Lord do it : our joy and our peace depend on it.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)