There is a handful of narratives about Jesus’ appearance after the empty tomb. Several center around the empty tomb itself, like the one in which the angels say Jesus is risen, or the one where Jesus himself appears and says to Mary Magdalene, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” And there’s an appearance to the disciples when he says to doubting Thomas, “Go ahead, stick your hand in my wound and be sure it’s really me.” Another time Jesus walks along the road to Emmaus with two disciples, probably not of the original twelve, finally being made known to them in the breaking of the bread at suppertime. Of the many strands of stories of Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances, this one about breakfast on the beach is my favorite.

Imagine. It’s been some time since the empty tomb and perhaps since the other appearances of Jesus. But nothing significant has happened. Things have pretty much gone on as before. Nothing changing, no uprisings, no upheavals, maybe not a whole lot of religious conversions.

So Peter, maybe feeling a bit useless and down-in-themouth, decides to abandon the silly notion of preaching about the Kingdom of God, and to return to what he knows best.

He says to the others, “I’m going fishing.”

Apparently the others were feeling down and useless, too, and needed something familiar to do. They declare, “We’ll go with you,” and they join Peter. The night brings only darkness and empty nets, though, and they head back toward shore tired, hungry, and even more downcast.

But suddenly, just as the rosy dawn begins to peek over the hills that surround the lake, there comes a voice from the beach, cutting through the mist. It’s Jesus calling to them, but they fail to recognize him. It may be the morning mist, of course but it’s not uncommon in the post-Resurrection stories to find that followers don’t recognize Jesus at first. Anyway, Jesus yells, “Children, have you any fish?”

“Children” isn’t the best translation, and I prefer the way Dr. James Moffatt translates it in his Scottish version. He uses the word “lads.” I can just picture Jesus standing on the beach of Scotland’s Loch Ness in the chill morning mist, from which Dr. Moffatt has him call out in a brogue, “Lads. Lads, have you got anything?”

The disciples, responding only to a voice at a distance, not recognizing either the voice or the person right away, simply (and probably glumly) reply, “No.”

And the voice immediately calls back, “Then cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

So they did, and it was so full of fish that they couldn’t pull it in. At that point one of the disciples, most likely the gospel writer John, who had been extremely close to Jesus while he was alive, exclaimed, “It is the Lord!”

Apparently the incident brought to mind a similar incident back when Jesus originally called his disciples to be with him. Remember the incident from Luke chapter 5? It occurred while Jesus was still alive.

The people were pressing upon Jesus to hear the Word of God as he stood by the Lake of Gennesaret. Then he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen were on the shore and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon Peter’s, Jesus asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, Jesus told Simon to put out into the deep water and let down his nets. But Simon protested, “Master, we toiled all night and caught nothingl But if you insist I will let down the nets.” And when they had done so, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and assist them. The fish filled both the boats until they began to sink. When Simon saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was amazed as were those with him, including James and John, sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will catch people.” And they left everything and followed him.

Back to the present text, though. It’s no wonder, when the voice from shore said “Cast your net on the right side,” it’s no wonder John’s and Simon Peter’s ears pricked up. And a moment later, when they actually began dragging in fish, and when John exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!” Peter could hardly help but plunge excitedly into the water, slogging toward shore with legs that felt like rubber as they strained against the water.

Yet the question remains, “Why does Peter, in particular get so excited?” After all, everyone else stays with the boat and catches up later. I think the next part of the text gives us a clue. It says: “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.”

A charcoal fire! You know, there’s only one other place in the Bible that mentions the phrase “charcoal fire,” and it’s a key to answering our question about Peter’s excitement. Let’s look at the other place.

In John 18 Jesus is betrayed by Judas in the Garden at Gethsemane. He is led away to the courtyard, and Simon Peter, who has sworn that he would never desert or deny Jesus, follows. But remember, Jesus said, “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” The account begins at John 18:15:

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. The maid who kept the door to the court of the high priest said to Peter, “Are you not also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not. “Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold,…

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Are you not also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed.

I like the way Luke’s gospel captures Peter’s emotion at that point, saying, “And Peter remembered the word of the Lord,” how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” “And [Peter] went out and wept bitterly.”

Now the connection is made -- the connection we see in the use of the phrase “charcoal fire” both in the courtyard and on the beach here. Try to feel, if you will, the immense weight of guilt and shame that Peter is carrying. He is, after all, Peter -- the rock, the first one to make the confession, “You are the Christ,” the faithful, well-meaning, loud-mouthed disciple who blurted out, “Lord, even if all the others fall away, I would give my life for you,” He is Peter, the one who three times denied even knowing Jesus on the night of his betrayal. If anyone would ever be ashamed and afraid to show his face, I think it would be Peter. If anyone were ever in need of forgiveness from his Lord, it would be Peter.

I’ll bet his impetuousness is what made him leap from the boat and come sloshing ashore. But I’ll bet that, as he got closer to the person by the charcoal fire, as he saw Jesus warming himselfjust as he, Peter, had warmed himself that night in the courtyard, as he saw that the person by the fire was indeed Jesus, Peter must have lowered his eyes with shame. How could he face his Lord?

But then what happens? Does Jesus reproach him? Does Jesus blame him? Does Jesus treat him as a traitor, as a deserter?

No. There is fish on the fire, and there is bread beside it. Apparently there was only a little, though, maybe just enough for one or two people. And just then the others arrive from the boat, six more mouths to feed besides Jesus and Peter. What to do!

But think for a moment. Where else did we see bread and fish, but not enough to go around -- at least, at first glance? In Mark 6:30 we read about a crowd that was hungry, and the disciples, having only enough food for themselves, wanted Jesus to send the people away to search for their own food. But Jesus had made five loaves and two fish feed a multitude.

But what of the other beach, the charcoal fire and the seven dejected disciples? What of Peter, waiting to see if his Lord will reproach him as he believes he deserves?

Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

So Simon Peter, maybe trying to earn his way back into Jesus’ good graces the way little children sometimes do when they’ve been naughty, “went aboard and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.” At that point I envision Peter shyly approaching Jesus, stepping up close with his eyes averted, waiting to see whether Jesus will acknowledge that he has hustled to bring over the fish to please him. And Jesus’ eyes and Peter’s eyes meet for a moment, and while Peter’s eyes are filled with fears and tears, Jesus’ eyes are soft and loving and forgiving.

But there’s a pregnant pause. Peter doesn’t know where he stands. His heart stops and his breathing ceases for a moment.

And then Jesus slowly smiles and offers the invitation, as he did at the Last Supper, at the feeding of the 5,000, at the feeding of the 4,000, and at all the other meals. “Come,” he says, perhaps beckoning with his hand, “Come and have breakfast.”

And what of Peter’s sin? What of three denials in the courtyard? Maybe Peter needed to be able to act something out to counter the three denials which were so sharply etched in his memory. Maybe Jesus sensed that. That passage continues:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” And Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

As we hear the invitation to the banquet this morning, to the communion rail, remember, there is no sin grievous enough to keep us from the Lord’s table. We are all Simon Peters, one moment warming ourselves at the fire of denial, the next warming ourselves at his fire of forgiveness. With a soft glance, a warm smile, a gentle gesture, Christ invites us to table as he has invited so many others. “Come and have breakfast with me.”

But after we have eaten and been satisfied, we must recall that we are fed so that we might serve in Christ’s name. We must go forth from the meal as disciples, answering the question asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

“Then feed my sheep.”