The painting depicts the moment when the resurrected but incognito
Jesus reveals himself to two of his disciples (presumed to be
Luke and
Cleopas) in the town of
Emmaus, only to soon vanish from their sight (
Gospel of Luke 24: 30–31). In the painting, Cleopas wears the
scallop shell of a
pilgrim, while the other apostle wears torn clothes. Cleopas gesticulates in a perspectively-challenging extension of arms in and out of the frame of reference. The standing groom, forehead smooth and face in darkness, appears oblivious to the event. The painting is unusual for the life-sized figures, the dark and blank background. The table lays out a still-life meal with the basket of food teetering over the edge. In the
Gospel of Mark (16:12), Jesus is said to have appeared to them "in another form", which may be why he is depicted beardless here, as opposed to the bearded Christ in
The Calling of Saint Matthew, where a group of seated money counters is interrupted by the recruiting Christ. It is also a recurring theme in Caravaggio's paintings to find the sublime interrupting the daily routine. The unexalted humanity is apt for this scene, since the human Jesus has made himself unrecognizable to his disciples, and at once confirms and surmounts his humanity. Caravaggio seems to suggest that perhaps a Jesus could enter our daily encounters. The dark background envelops the tableau.
Christian symbolism The basket of fruit in the foreground has two stray strands of wicker that form an
ichthys, the early Christian fish-symbol for Christ. The shadow of the fruit on the tablecloth forms the body of a fish and fishtail. ==Milan version==