Embers of Restoration

Peter finds himself in an all so familiar place as Jesus gently calls his name from the shore. Immediately, his thoughts drift back to that day, some three years ago when Christ wooed him from his nets to follow Him. Ah, that voice. The same voice which in love commanded a little girl to wake from death's grip, in zeal cleansed the temple, in passion announced the kingdom, and in agony cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." (Matthew 27:46) Yet now, Jesus extends an invitation to breakfast. Fish and bread. But Peter notices something else. A charcoal fire. (John 21:9)

Jesus is up to something more. Don't miss this. Only two times in Scripture is this phrase, "a charcoal fire" used. Both found in the book of John. Here, and a couple chapters back, in John 18:18, "Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself." The last time Peter stood around a charcoal fire was on that fateful night of Christ's betrayal and it was around that very charcoal fire Peter denied even knowing the Man in the judgment seat. Upon glimpsing this seaside scene, no doubt a trigger of emotional pain shot through Peter's veins. But Jesus was not seeking retribution. Rather, this was about restoration.

Jesus re-created the setting of this night in Peter's past. Not to bring up his faults, but to enable him to move past his failure by recognizing his responsibility. Where only shortly before Peter denied Christ three times around a charcoal fire, here, Peter emphatically declares his undying love for Christ. Three times. (John 21:15-19) Where previously Peter refused to bear the consequences of being associated with Jesus of Nazareth, he now embraces the call to follow this King of Heaven. To the point of giving his life. Peter's fall was painful, but not final. Jesus had told Peter earlier, "but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32) Darby translates it, "when once thou hast been restored…" Our very restoration is not for self-advancement, but for the building up of His church.

When Jesus called Peter and his friends from their life of fishing (Matthew 4:18-22) to "follow Him", Matthew noted that James and John were "mending their nets." They recognized a broken net catches few fish. Likewise, a discouraged saint catches few men. The word used for "mending" is the same word translated "restore" in Galatians 6:1. "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness." Just as catching fish requires a mended net, fishing for men requires restored vessels. Webster's Dictionary defines "restore" as "to bring back to a previous condition."

Many find themselves in this same vortex of madness. Emptiness, despair, failure, frustration, and hopelessness define their days. Even in the very presence of those they know and love, loneliness characterizes their moments. In seeking to be known and vulnerable, they feel betrayed, distanced, and at times, cut off from acceptance. Mother Teresa said, "“Of all the diseases I have known, loneliness is the worst.” Like Peter, we go back to fishing. Back to that thing in which we think we'll find our identity, only to realize that was never who we were. Why? Because we were created with an eternal purpose satisfied only in the pursuit of the Eternal...never intended to be satisfied by the diversions of time.

Among Christ's followers, there is a great need for restoration. Not a mere passing over of sins committed, but a demonstration of Jesus' love which seeks to restore and renew lives which once were discarded as useless for the Kingdom. Are we looking to gently encourage and shepherd our brothers and sisters past their past, or are we condemning them based on their history? Nets are mended for the purpose of fishing once more. In God's economy, a broken net is a call for the Church to "…forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him."(2 Corinthians 2:7-8) Furthermore, Paul goes on to plead that we would not be “outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his strategies." (2:11) To withhold comfort and refuse restoration to a sincere, repenting sinner is to directly play into Satan's hand.

Never forget that, as a believer in Jesus, on the best day, our status is a sinner saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For those trapped in a funnel of despair, know that Jesus calls you to His charcoal fire. Not to condemn, but to affirm His love and offer restoration. May our lives, as His lights in this world, reflect His attitude of restoration. As we seek to mend broken nets, let us lay aside bitterness, resentment and pride, and under a unified and unhindered banner, proclaim His restoration to this generation.