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Art
Visual Lectionary Vanderbilt – Easter 4, April 30, 2023
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Visual Lectionary Vanderbilt – Easter 3, April 23, 2023
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Road to Emmaus in Stained Glass
Note- The “Road to Emmaus” here refers to a stained glass window at St. George’s Episcopal, Fredericksburg based on the Luke Gospel reading
Inscription: None
Maker/Date: Tiffany Studios, New York, 1912
Description – The story of this window is from Luke, chapter 24, verses 13 to 35.
Jesus Christ rises from the dead (before dawn) and makes five appearances on the day of His rising. This window represents #3 below:
1 To Mary Magdalene [given a message to the disciples]
2 To the other women who come to the tomb [intending to complete the burial preparation of His body]
3. To two disciples on the Road to Emmaus
4. To Simon Peter [nowhere recorded, but alluded to in Luke 24:33 and 1 Corinthians 1:5]
5. To the astonished disciples [Thomas is absent]
There are a number of unknowns – Emmaus cannot be found on any map though only 7 miles from Jerusalem. The concept of a road was a common metaphor at the time – The early Christians were called “people of the way.” The Road to Emmaus may have been an actual physical road or only a spiritual road
In the image, Cleopas and an unnamed companion encounter the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem
There are two companions – we don’t know the name of one and Cleopas the other one is only mentioned in the Good Friday reading of the Gospel of John. One of the key parts of the story is that the two companions were not apostles, not part of the inner circle. Just everyday people. In all of the other resurrection experiences, Jesus appears to the group around Jesus.
Two unknowns going to an unknown place. The reason they are going is not disclosed. Are they ending Passover and simply returning after the event in a normal fashion or they are fleeing a desperate situation in Jerusalem?
The look of incredulity and awe on the faces of the men stands in contrast to the dignity and still expression of Christ.
The men are shocked that anyone could have been in Jerusalem and not known of the events that have happened there.
“Abide with us,” they ask the unrecognized stranger, “for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” ]
It was not until they offered Him hospitality and He blessed and broke the bread that they recognized Him. He soon disappeared.
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
Luke 24 is often seen as a model of the journey that Jesus makes with us today. He opens our eyes, points us to the Word, and reveals Himself along life’s walk as the resurrected Savior and Lord. One of the things the story teaches is that Jesus cares for your hopes and your dreams.
The Importance of Lazarus, Lent 5, March 26, 2023
In this last Sunday in Lent, Lent 5, March 26, 2023 we have the Gospel story of Lazarus. The story of Lazarus takes place in the town of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were close friends of Jesus. After Lazarus falls ill, the sisters send word to Jesus, asking for his help.
When Jesus arrives in Bethany, he learns that Lazarus is dead and has been in his tomb for four days. (The King James version is graphic – “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” Jesus enters the tomb and performs a miracle, raising Lazarus from the dead. It was witnessed by Lazarus’s sister Martha.
The central message in the story is contained in Jesus’s words to Lazarus’s sister Mary when He says:“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25)
This story is both the culmination of Lent and a transition to Holy Week. Jesus separated himself from the devil in Lent 1 and then engages with Nicodemus, the Women at the Well, the man born blind and now the community around Lazarus. These texts from John are about revelation–the revelation of who Jesus is, the one sent by God, the begotten God, whose offer of life is in his presence and not necessarily delayed until his death. It deals with social issues – Jesus working with the pharisee Nicodemus and the “foreign” woman (the Samaritan) with the Woman at the Well, counteracting the prejudice at the time against Samaritans. Jesus counters false belief that the man born blind was sinful because of his condition. Along the way, it deals with man’s constant temptations and limits vs. Jesus as the source of light and eternal life.
The story of Lazarus goes a step further in leading us forward. The story of the raising of Lazarus is important, as it clearly demonstrates that Jesus was no ordinary prophet. Jesus has power over life and death. It convinced many people that Jesus was the genuine Lord and Savior. The resurrection of Lazarus also foreshadows the death and resurrection of Christ. He has returned to Bethany to restore Lazarus to life, in full knowledge that he will pay with his own life. It set in motion the plot to kill Jesus by the Pharisees and chief priests who were envious of His charisma and supernatural talents.
Thus it offers a transition to Holy Week.
In the collage from left to right we have Van Gogh, Guercino, Rembrandt, Caravagio and Giotto from the 1300’s to the 1800’s
Here are depictions of this story through art