3rd Sunday in Easter / Walking to Emmaus

Fritz von Uhde / Walking to Emmaus / 1891

From The Gospel of Saint Luke

“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;

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Description from the Bible and Art

Atmospheric painting by Von Uhde. Every detail is dedicated to portraying the earnest attention paid by the men to the stranger who accompanies them on their way to Emmaus – a mere blot in the distance. See the heads bowed in concentration and the small steps, emphasizing how the men are taking their time listening to what is being said.

Note that the landscape is a little greener than is usual in the Middle East. Uhde tended to situate biblical scenes in contemporary country settings.