Evening Road to Emmaus, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

We see three men from behind as they walk down a dusty path paved with loose stones. Jesus is in the middle, robed in white with a pale gold mantle over one shoulder, his left hand open as he talks. The disciple on the left wears a sandy tunic and an olive cloak; the one on the right, in brown, has a cloth wrapped around his head. Their long shadows stretch back toward us.

Low dry-stone walls line both sides of the road. Gnarled olive trees lean over the path, and further on a village of pale stone houses rises on a hill, with tall cypresses among the roofs. The sun sits just above the horizon in a sky of peach, lavender and gold. The oil-style brushwork is loose and luminous, the picture fills the page from edge to edge, and no words are printed on it.

Hearts burning on the way

Luke 24:13-35 takes place on the evening of the first Easter. Two disciples, one named Cleopas, are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village about seven miles away. They are talking about the crucifixion when Jesus himself draws near and walks with them, but they do not recognize him.

He asks what they are discussing, listens to their sorrow, and then explains to them from Moses and all the prophets the things concerning himself. As they reach the village he makes as though he would go on, and they urge him, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.”

At the table he takes bread, blesses it and breaks it, and their eyes are opened. Then he vanishes from their sight. They say to each other, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” That same hour they set out again for Jerusalem to tell the others.

Ideas for display

The theme of companionship on a hard road makes this a fitting Easter piece and a thoughtful present for a friend walking through grief, a Bible study leader, or a couple starting a new chapter together. It suits a hallway, a dining room where bread is broken every day, or a church fellowship hall.

It is reproduced as a giclée on heavyweight archival matte stock, printed in the USA when you order and delivered free anywhere in the country. The print ships unframed and full bleed, with the image running right to the edge. Pick from 5x7 through 24x36 inches, metric and A sizes, or download a digital file.