20. Jesus Appears at Emmaus (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by Douglas Blanchard
“When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” -- Luke 24:30-31 (RSV)
A couple of Jesus’ friends met a stranger on the way to a village called Emmaus. While they were traveling together, they told the stranger about Jesus: the hopes he stirred in them, his horrific execution, and Mary's unbelievable story that he was still alive. Their hearts burned as the stranger reframed it for them, revealing how all things can work together for good. They convinced him to stay and have dinner with them in Emmaus. As the meal began, he blessed the bread and gave it to them. It was one of those moments when you suddenly recognize the presence of God. The stranger was Jesus! He had been with them all along. Sometimes even devout Christians are unable to see God’s image in people who are strangers to them, such as LGBT people or others who have been marginalized. Sometimes people are blind to their own sacred worth as incarnations of the divine. But at any moment, the grace of an unexpected encounter may open our eyes.
God, help me to recognize you.
___
Next: 21. Jesus Appears to His Friends
More resources:
A Broken Church, and the Return from Emmaus (Queering the Church Blog)
This is part of a series based on “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision,” a set of 24 paintings by Douglas Blanchard, with text by Kittredge Cherry.
Click to go to the beginning
or view the whole series.
Scripture quotation is from Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
3 comments:
One of the marvelous things about this spectacular series is that I am, in fact, seeing the paintings by Doug that I hadn't really had a chance to see before. This is a lovely one, and shows something very endearing about his wondrous vision.
It also fits very well indeed with another book I've just discovered -- Gene Robinson's "In the Eye of the Storm". This painting has for me the same type of joyful and uplifting feel as that book.
Like you, Trudie, I find that this series gave me the opportunity to stop and reflect on some of the paintings in the series that I had skimmed over before. When I saw all 24 paintings hanging together, it was easy to get distracted by the more dramatic scenes and overlook this one, where Jesus appears in an ordinary restaurant. That is in keeping with the point of the Emmaus story -- that Christ is with us in our daily lives, but we may not recognize it. Thank you for making the connection to Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson’s book.
It’s enlightening to view the disciples who left for Emmaus as LGBT people who left the church -- and then found Jesus on the outside! Thank you, Terry, for sharing this queer-friendly interpretation.
I know many LGBT people who left the church and found God apart from any institution… but many never return to the church to tell the good news of God’s presence. This makes me wonder why the disciples in Emmaus decided to return. I looked back at Luke’s Gospel, which simply says, “And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem.”
If I revise these meditations to use again in the future, I will definitely incorporate the new understanding from you and Michael B. Kelley. Thank you!
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