When I announced my retirement, the thing most people wanted to know was what I would do with my time. “I am going to sit on the beach and think about God,” I told them. It was an exaggeration, of course. I live in Michigan, so the beach is too cold in the winter! But have you ever wondered how Jesus occupies Himself now that He has risen from the dead?

Paul reveals that one of the things Jesus does is pray. This was something He did even before His resurrection. But now Jesus does so from a position of complete victory. His sacrifice for sin is complete. He has been raised to life and restored to His rightful place at the Father’s right hand (v. 34). The apostle reminds us of these things to encourage us in the present and reassure us about the future. For those who belong to Christ, God “works for the good” in every circumstance (v. 28). Christ’s death and resurrection have guaranteed the believer’s complete transformation into His image (v. 29). What is more, as Christ prays for us from heaven, the indwelling Holy Spirit “intercedes for us through wordless groans” (v. 26).

No wonder Paul concludes that nothing we face can “separate us from the love of Christ” (v. 35). Since the entire Trinity is at work in our salvation to make us “more than conquerors through him who loved us,” why should we have any doubt about what the future holds (v. 37)? The level of certainty that Paul describes in these verses is absolute. The ultimate outcome depends on God, not our situation. God’s accusing Law was the chief impediment that stood in our way. Now that Jesus has died and risen for us, there is no longer any charge that can be brought against us (v. 33).

Antinomian is a word that combines a Greek preposition that means “against” with the Greek word for “law.” It may seem as if this is a good way to describe Paul’s view. Yet in Romans 3:31 Paul asserts the opposite: “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” How does faith uphold the Law? By the Spirit!

In Romans 8:2, Paul says that “the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” This is a contrast between two “laws” or controlling principles that shape behavior. One operates in the realm of flesh, which “cannot please God” (v. 8). The other is the rule of the Spirit, who “gives life because of righteousness” (v. 10). Those who are in Christ are still subject to mortality. We will die. However, when we are indwelt by the same powerful Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, death is not our ultimate destiny because “if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (v. 11).

The hope of resurrection lies in the future, but its power is something that those who belong to Christ have already begun to experience. The reality of the indwelling presence of the Spirit obligates those who belong to Christ to live out of the realm of the Spirit (v. 12). The Law, even though it is “holy, righteous and good,” can only operate externally (7:12). It reveals the standard but does not enable us to meet it. Its weakness is the flesh, which “does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (8:7).

What did the disciples think would happen next after Jesus proved to them that He was alive following the resurrection? We get a clue from the question they asked in verse 6 of today’s reading: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They thought it was the end of the story. Or, perhaps more accurately, the beginning of a new one. What I don’t think they expected was that they would have to go back to school.

Verse 3 says Jesus “appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” His aim was twofold. First, He would provide His followers with irrefutable proof of His bodily resurrection (v. 3). Jesus backed this claim by being with them in the flesh and eating with them (v. 4). Second, He would finish instructing them and prepare them for their next stage of ministry. For forty days, Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God (see Matt. 4:23). Yet despite all this instruction, His apostles still had questions. Specifically, they wanted to know when the kingdom would be restored to Israel (v. 6).

In his reply, Jesus pointed out that the timing was not their concern. The times and dates are things that “the Father has set by his own authority” (v. 7). The immediate task that lay before them was to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to bear witness “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8). Jesus had spoken to them about the ministry of the Spirit. He had called Him “another advocate” who would “help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16). He is also called “the Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11).

Pastor and author Erwin Lutzer has called failure “the back door to success.” But at first, it often just feels like failure. When we stumble, we may find it difficult to get back up and start again. Even after seeing the risen Christ, Peter seemed to go backward rather than forward. When Peter made the sudden decision to go fishing in John 21:3, he was not merely looking for a way to pass time. Perhaps it was a decision born of necessity. Were the disciples running low on food? Did Peter feel his denial of Christ had disqualified him from serving the Lord, and all that was left was a return to his old vocation?

Whatever motivated Peter, the result was a failure that mirrored his initial call (Luke 5:4–11). When someone on the shore urged them to try again on the other side of the boat, it was John who recognized it was Jesus (v. 7). Jesus’ repeated questions and the command to “feed” His sheep in verses 15–17 could imply Peter’s sudden return to his old vocation sprang from concerns about the practical needs of the small band of disciples. Yet when they reached the shore with their miraculous catch, Jesus already had “a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread” (v. 9). Jesus’ questions were not intended to shame Peter but to remind him of his true vocation and recommission him. In addition to providing an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment three times (one for each denial), He promised that Peter would one day make good on his boast that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37).

Jesus’ promise made Peter curious about John’s fate, prompting a quick rebuke. Jesus’ new marching orders for Peter are the same as His original command: “You must follow me” (v. 22).