(Luke 24 v 13, 1 Cor 15 v 3-5)
Certainly it must have been a horrible moment
Knowing that, despite all you said
You still went and denied Jesus.
Peter went to warm himself by the fire of this world
But his meal was bitter tears
And then, there was that look.
In every account of that first morning, there is no record of Jesus appearing to Peter.
But, he did.
Luke says he did
Paul said he did
Now, if I was nominating names for the "Special First Appearance" I would have chosen
Mary (either or both), or perhaps even John who Jesus loved.
But Peter?
But Jesus does not deal with us according to what we have done
He reserves special grace for those who need it most
And for you and me
A "special encounter" awaits
If we think we have failed
Not to condemn
But to restore and redeem.
And it will seem just like that first morning.