The Supper at Emmaus

by Caravaggio
1601 Oil on canvas, 141 x 196 cm

Click here to see the Supper at Emmaus painting (courtesy of the National Gallery).

This enormous life size painting illustrates a moment after the resurrection (shown at the end of the Miracle Maker film) when two friends realise that they are sharing a meal with Jesus. Read Luke Chapter 24 v 13-35 to find out what is happening in the picture.

The following material could also be used in an RE lesson.

What can we see in the painting?

The man in red is Jesus - red being the colour used in Christian art as a symbol of Christ’s Passion, love, dignity and power. The man on the left is Cleopas - a follower of Jesus. The man on the right is wearing a scallop shell - a symbol used in art to show a pilgrim - someone on a special journey. The Italian artist has painted a number of unusual and interesting details in his picture.

Jesus is holding his hand over the food. Cleopas on the far left looks as if he is about to get up out of his chair and the man on the right is holding his arms up in a gesture of real surprise. If you relax your eyes it almost seems as if Cleopas’ torn elbow and the outstretched hand of the pilgrim on the right are bursting through the canvas toward you. Who is the man in the background? Could he be a servant? He looks as if he has no idea what is going on. Perhaps he thinks they are about to complain about the food!

If you were sitting at the table what could you smell? What could you see? What food and drink can you see on the table?

Look at the shadows. Where is the light coming from?

Fruit was often used by artists as ‘symbols of good gifts which come from God’ Why do you think the artist has painted the basket of fruit so near the edge of the table? If you pulled up a chair to the empty place at the table, it looks as if the fruit might fall in your lap. Why do you think the artist chose to paint the fruit like that? What do you think he was he trying to tell us?

If you look at the shadow behind the fruit bowl you will see it looks like a fish tail. This has puzzled many people for hundreds of years because there is nothing in the fruit bowl the right shape to cast that shadow. The fish (ICTHUS) symbol is an ancient secret symbol. If you take the first letters of the Greek words for Jesus Christ God’s Son Saviour - they spell FISH in Greek. The ICTHUS sign was used by Christians facing harsh persecution in the 1st C AD. They scratched the sign on prison walls and drew it in the sand.

If the light is coming from the left, there should be a shadow cast over the face of Jesus by the man standing to his left. Why do you think the artist has ‘moved’ the shadow to the back wall so that Jesus’ face is full of light? Is the artist trying to tell us something about Jesus?

Read again the biblical account and try to work out why these men didn’t recognise Jesus until this moment when he blessed the food (as he had done at the Last Supper).

If you were sitting at the table what might you be thinking? How might you be feeling?

Reflections / Prayers :

In multifaith schools prayers should be introduced by saying something like: “I am going to say a prayer.  Please listen quietly and if you would like to make it your prayer too, you can say ‘Amen’ at the end. ‘Amen’ means ‘I agree with what has just been said’.

Christians believe that a few weeks after this event Jesus went back to heaven. People today can’t see Jesus. The Bible says Christians should “shine like stars in a dark world’ so that others can see Jesus in them by the kind things that they do.
Please God, thank you for the wise teachings that are written down in the Bible. Thank you for the teachings and example of Jesus. Please help us to follow his example and to always show kindness to others.  Amen.

or

Jesus’ friends were devastated when he died. According to the Bible, the men in this picture were some of the first people to see Jesus alive again. The Bible records that hundreds of people saw Jesus alive over the next few weeks and that their sadness changed to happiness.
Christians believe Jesus’ death was part of God’s plan to save the world.

Please God, help us to realise that we can’t always see the whole picture. Help us to remember that sometimes good can come out of the worst situations. Thank you that we can always talk to you no matter how sad we feel. Thank you that you always listen when we talk to you.  Amen