Jesus Christ came walking out of the tomb alive! What had been one way traffic — no return — has now been reversed. A breach has been effected into the hitherto unyielding wall of human mortality, and the living Christ again insinuates Himself into the lives and affairs of His own!

When the secret police broke into a small group meeting of Chris-tians, they asked how many were present. The leader, a little old man with great love for Christ, answered “15 present.” A count revealed only 14 persons. The officer in charge was angry and said: “I thought you said 15!”

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“I did say 15,” the old man responded: “Our Savior said, “I will be with you always even to the consummation of the age!” The world doesn’t account for this and can’t understand it. But Jesus lives, and how the living Christ makes a difference in the lives of His own is made powerfully clear in our passage.

I. We Can Learn From the Living Christ (13-27)

The two disciples (possibly a married couple) are wending their weary way home after a rumor-rife day of confusion. They were downhearted. Their faith was in the past-tense.

Then “Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them!” The Lord Jesus shares a Bible conference with them as He opened the whole Old Testament to them. He showed them in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. What might have been some of the leading passages He opened? Little wonder their hearts burned within them as He taught them. For Jesus the Scriptures were supreme.

After the resurrection, many things became clear (John 2:22). “In times like these we need the Bible.”

II. We Can Fellowship With the Living Christ (28-31)

The living Christ longs to make Himself known to His own. Christian fellowship is first vertical, then horizontal (cf 1 John 1:3). We are called to fellowship with Christ (I Cor. 1:9).

As they shared in the emblems of His dying and rising, “their eyes were opened and they recognized Him” (24:31). Did they see the nail-prints in His hands?

As the evening shadows enveloped them, they were in vital and personal contact with Him who is “the light of life.”

“Abide with me, fast falls the even-tide . . .”

III. We Must Witness for the Living Christ (32-35)

As they reflected on their experience of the reality of the living Christ, they felt mastered by the compulsion to speak to others of what had happened to them.

They felt ready to burst as did the Prophet Jeremiah ( 20:9), and like the Apostles (Acts 4:20 and 1 Cor. 9:16).

Archimedes jumped out of the bathtub proclaiming, “Eureka! I have found it!” He could not be suppressed.

Even though it was night, they hurried back to Jerusalem and shared with the followers of Jesus: He is alive!

To R.W. Dale — the Birmingham preacher in his study before a memorable Easter — what had been orthodox affirmation and traditional discourse became vivid and real: Jesus is really alive and He is here, now.

This personal authentication must be what the Apostle Paul prayed for when he prayed: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection!” (Phil. 3:10)

This is why we worship on the first day of the week in a continuous celebration of the resurrection of our Lord! He is always lifting us out of hopelessness into “a New and living hope” (1 Peter 1:3).

When the armies of Napoleon swept over Europe, one of his generals made a surprise attack on the little town of Feldkirk on the Austrian border. As the French army maneuvered, the citizens gathered to decide whether or not they would resist. As they debated their course, their much-loved pastor rose to speak: “This is Easter Sunday,” he began, “and we have been wondering if we have the strength to resist. But this is Easter day, the day of our Lord’s resurrection. Let us ring the bells and have our services as usual, and commit the matter to God. We know only our own weakness and not the power of God.

The meeting was in agreement and soon the church bells pealed out a joyous melody announcing the Savior’s victory over death. The enemy heard the sudden peal of joyful bells and concluded that the Austrian army had arrived, and so broke camp and departed. The danger was removed.

So ought we, caught in the clutches of a formidable foe and facing bewildering issues in our culture. Let us sound the Easter bells! Let us ring out the Easter message of triumph and glory and put the hosts of darkness to flight! (Prairie Overcomer).