When Jesus faced his final hours, he needed his friends’ support.
But they messed up.
First, Judas betrayed him.
Then the others slept while he agonised over his future.
And when the Roman troops tried to arrest him, Peter sliced off a soldier’s ear. Hmm. How pointless.
And it gets worse.
Jesus’ friends all run away – and one ends up naked. Oh dear.
Just what he needed before he faced trial and barbaric execution.
And the farce didn’t end there.
Peter tried to discover what was happening to the man to whom he pledged his allegiance.
But he was so scared of a harmless slave girl that he denied knowing Jesus.
Finally, these steadfast companions go into hiding. Go fishing. And catch nothing.
What a bunch. But I’m no different.
God tests us through pressure, to show us what we’re really like.
So, when Jesus invited those 11 failures to breakfast, they were ready for revelation and restoration.
He addressed two issues
First, their blindness.
They had seen him twice since the crucifixion. But initially, they didn’t recognise him that morning. He turns up in some strange places. He’s easy to miss.
Then, he dealt with their shame.
When they arrived for breakfast, they were probably too embarrassed to ask: ‘Who are you?’
They knew they’d failed. Especially Peter.
But Jesus didn’t tell him: ‘You’re not up to it, pal. You’re fired.’
Instead, he took him aside, talked about love and gave him his job back.
Are you ready for breakfast with Jesus?
Look out for him today.
As I said, he’s easy to miss.