Breakfast with Jesus
I didn’t grow up as a girly-girl. I wasn’t a tom-boy, either, but most of what I know today about beauty routines and make-up I learned from Mary Kay home parties that ran rampant during the 1990’s. Young women today have access to a treasure trove of skin care tutorials on YouTube, TikTok, and other media that I know nothing about. My little pre-teen heart would have loved to have had videos to watch that didn’t come with the pressure to host a home party. Let’s be real, I had a hard time gathering five to six friends who had enough money to buy anything more expensive than Cover Girl.
I’m learning so much from these videos now, though. For instance, I am now aware that hydration and anti-aging products are unbelievably popular, but there are so many options, I have no idea where to start. I am also now aware that purchasing some of those products will require a second mortgage on our home. But most importantly, I have learned that charcoal is the sweet nectar of the beauty world.
It’s not that charcoal-infused beauty products are new to the scene; they have been manufactured for more than a hundred years. The marketing boom, however, has occurred only in the last decade and believe me, they’ve been marketed well. From facial cleansers and body soaps to toothpaste, toothbrushes and even juices, activated charcoal promises unclogged pores, healthy skin and gleaming white teeth.
My first toe-dip into the world of using charcoal products (outside of Kingston briquettes) happened quite by accident. I sent my daughter to the store for a few items for the house, one of which was toothpaste. I didn’t pay any attention to the brand or the label until later, when I squeezed the tube and almost fumbled the toothbrush as the paste came out colored a deep, dark grey. I will admit I hesitated, but it didn’t taste as horrible as it looked, and over time, I started to believe that maybe they were on to something. Perhaps I’m easily fooled, but it seemed to work better than my usual brand. Fast forward a few months; now I’m using charcoal facial cleansers, too, and googling late at night to discover an entire world of which I was completely uneducated.
For example, I had no idea that activated charcoal has had medicinal value for centuries. Egyptians began using charcoal a few millennia ago to purify water and preserve corpses, and later on, charcoal was added to their embalming practices. More recently, charcoal has been used as an emergency treatment for poisoning. Activated charcoal attaches itself to toxins in the stomach and prevents the toxins from entering the bloodstream.
Which then led me to the question, is there a record of charcoal being used in the Bible? As it turns out, yes, there is. In my research, I found this clear reference to charcoal in the Old Testament:
“Then out of the smoke, one of the angels of fire flew at me. He had in his hands a burning coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See? The burning coal from the altar has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away; your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the Lord saying, ‘Whom should I send to my people? Who will go to represent us?” I spoke up and said ‘I will be the one. Send me.’ Then he said, ‘Go…’” Isaiah 6:6-9 TPT
Isn’t that interesting? In Isaiah’s vision, an angel of the Lord touches his lips and cleanses the toxins from his soul with a piece of coal, the same material used today to bind toxins and prevent them from entering the bloodstream. Even more, Isaiah was sanctified at that moment and commissioned for a higher purpose. Such a beautiful vision of purification and gifting of purpose.
What I found even more interesting, though, are the mentions of charcoal fires in the New Testament. Did you know there are only two mentions of a “charcoal fire” in the entire Bible, and both involve Jesus and Peter – you cannot convince me that this is a coincidence.
The first reference to a charcoal fire is found in John 18:18:
“Now because it was cold, the soldiers and guards made a charcoal fire and were standing around it to keep warm. So Peter huddled there with them, around the fire.” John 18:18 TPT
On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, Peter followed behind as Jesus was taken to the home of the Jewish high priest. It was around this charcoal fire that Peter denied – three times – being a disciple of Jesus. Luke 22 tells us that after his third denial, the rooster crowed, and Jesus’ eyes met Peter’s. I imagine that the sorrow Peter saw on Jesus’ face must have leveled him to his core.
Can you picture it? Can you smell it? As the pungent smoke from the charcoal fire filled his lungs, Peter’s mind was seared with what would become a visceral memory of his betrayal of Jesus. It’s said that our sense of smell plays a crucial role in learning and memory. In short, the things we smell stay with us for a very long time. Jesus knew that this moment would be a permanently debilitating memory for Peter, and his eyes filled with sorrow for Peter – not because Peter had denied him, but because Peter would forever link his identity to this moment of failure. Every time he smelled the smoke of a coal fire, Peter would have been drawn right back to that night and his heart would have instantly filled with shame and regret.
But then… Peter had breakfast with Jesus.
The book of John tells us that a few days after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, He appeared to his disciples by Lake Galilee. Peter and several others had been fishing all night, but by the time the sun rose, they had nothing to show for their efforts. As dawn broke, the disciples saw a lone man standing on the shore, and he told them to cast their nets again; this time, there were so many fish, they couldn’t pull in their nets. It’s then that Peter recognizes the man on the shore as the risen Jesus, and without hesitation, he jumps into the lake and swims to shore.
Then comes the second mention of a charcoal fire:
“And when they got to shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with some roasted fish and bread.” John 21:9 TPT
It’s at this point in my mind’s video montage that I see Peter’s feet slide to a stop in the sand. The unmistakable scent of a charcoal fire would have reached Peter seconds before Peter reached Jesus. That’s the scent of his betrayal. That’s the smell of shame. As Peter’s lungs filled with air, his stomach must have dropped; he might have even heard the eerie cry of a rooster as an image of Jesus’ sorrowful eyes flashed through his mind.
The Bible doesn’t tell us that Peter does an about-face when he sees and smells the coal fire, but it does say that he wades back into the water to help pull the net to shore. Suddenly, breakfast with his risen Savior could wait, and I am certain I know why; I would have been nervous about that reunion, too.
We’ll fast forward a bit. After breakfast, Jesus asks Peter a series of three questions about Peter’s love for his Lord. As Peter reaffirms his love – three times – Jesus gives him his mission: Feed my sheep. Shepherd my sheep. Feed my sheep.
Three times, Peter had betrayed his Lord. Three times, his Lord restored his beloved friend.
And just as Isaiah was cleansed and sanctified for a higher purpose with a piece of coal, Jesus used a charcoal fire to cleanse away each tainted memory from Peter’s mind. Then, He sanctified Peter for a much higher plan. There was purification and gifting of purpose.
With such beautiful intentionality, Jesus released Peter from the burden of his shame and regret, gave him a new identity and launched him into a ministry so powerful, Peter became unapologetically bold in sharing Jesus’ message.
Just a few chapters later, I found this description of Peter:
“When people knew Peter was going to walk by, they carried the sick out to the streets and laid them down on cots and mats knowing the incredible power emanating from him would overshadow them and heal them.” Acts 5:15 AMP
Wow!
Despite his impulsivity and quick temper, Peter was given a mission and a God-spoken identity.
Despite his betrayal of Jesus, Peter was shown that he was loved and cherished by his Lord.
Despite Peter’s obvious shortcomings, he was absolved and forgiven.
And today, my friend, that same purification and gifting of purpose is available to us. No matter what we’ve done or what we’ve said, Jesus is calling us to our own charcoal fire.
Are you carrying an identity from the world that needs to be cleansed away? What “scents” have become a part of your emotional memories, reminding you of your failures or mistakes? Jesus is standing at the shore, waiting for you to join him for breakfast around the fire. He wants to cleanse us, yes. We aren’t made to carry shame and regret for the things we’ve done. His forgiveness is freely offered. But he also wants for us what was given to Peter and Isaiah: A God-spoken identity that radically changes us and the world.
Despite your past, despite your shame, despite your regrets, you have been given a mission and a God-spoken identity.
Despite any messes you’ve made of your life, you are loved and cherished by the Lord.
Despite your shortcomings, you are completely absolved and forgiven.
Oh, Friend, do you understand? Our identity isn’t found in the mistakes that we’ve made. We are so much more than our shame and failures. We have been given an identity from God, and He calls us loved, cherished, redeemed, forgiven… and launched into a ministry so powerful, we become unapologetically bold in sharing the message of Jesus.
It’s time to join Jesus for breakfast…