John 18:18, “Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.”

John 21:9, “As soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.”

On the night Jesus was arrested, outside the High Priest’s home, Peter gathered around a fire to keep himself warm. Perhaps it was the glow of the fire that allowed people who thought they recognized him to ask him a question. Three times he was asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. And he denied Jesus each time.

After the resurrection, with questions still swirling in their minds, Peter and some of the disciples decide to go fishing. It’s interesting that Peter was also fishing when Jesus called him to follow Him, and on both occasions, they caught so many fish that the boat began to sink. But it’s not so much the boatload of fish I want you to notice; it’s the two fires associated with the scriptures mentioned above.

The first fire was for warmth, the second was for cooking a breakfast of fresh fish. The first fire seemed like a disappointing end; the second fire marked a new beginning. The first fire was filled with disappointment; the second fire tells of Peter being forgiven.

According to John 21:14, this was the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection.

After breakfast, Jesus challenges Peter with a razor-sharp question: “Peter, do you love me more than these?” He asked this question three times. Each time, Peter insisted that he did, but with each passing answer, something deeper was happening in Peter’s heart. Echoes of a crowing rooster, three denials, and now, on the third meeting, three affirmations of his love for Jesus. And with each one, Jesus tells Peter to care for His sheep, His lambs.

But rather than seeing this as just a happy ending, I think we should see it more accurately as a new beginning. With love and compassion, Jesus shows Peter that he is forgiven, and the call to become a fisher of men, which began his journey with Jesus, is affirmed. Our past does not limit our future. God is still calling and sending us into all the world.