The Road to Emmaus, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

A dirt road runs along a hillside, edged with stones and dry grass. Tall dark cypresses and olive trees stand on the left, and the three figures walk away from us side by side beneath them: two in brown and gray cloaks, the one in the middle in a pale robe. Beyond, a valley opens toward hills, a river and a distant village.

The sun is setting, and the sky glows gold and rose through the clouds. The figures are small on purpose; the long road and the fading day carry as much of the meaning as they do. No words are printed on it.

Luke's Easter evening story

The story is told in Luke 24. On the same day that the women found the tomb empty, two disciples walked from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, about threescore furlongs away, talking over everything that had happened. Jesus drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were holden that they should not know him. One of them, Cleopas, told him the whole sad story, as if he were the only stranger in Jerusalem who had not heard.

As they walked, Jesus opened the Scriptures to them, beginning at Moses and all the prophets. When they reached the village he made as though he would go further, and they urged him, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent” (Luke 24:29). At the table he took bread, blessed it and broke it, and their eyes were opened, and he vanished from their sight.

Their first words afterward are among the most honest in the Bible: “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way?” That same hour they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the others.

Where it belongs

The hour and the road make this print a natural fit for an entryway, a hallway or a living room, and it suits Eastertide without looking seasonal. Pastors and Bible teachers often like it because the story is about the Scriptures being opened, and it is a warm gift for a friend going through doubt or discouragement.

This Christian poster is printed to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ships free there. It is sent unframed with a white margin around the painting, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 and in A and metric formats, or as a digital file.