And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. (Luke 24: 30-31)
Two grieving followers of the Crucified Christ are returning from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus, discussing the astonishing stories they have just heard about Jesus rising from the grave. A stranger joins them on the road and helps them to make sense of it all by citing passages from the Hebrew Scriptures. As night draws on, the pair invite him to stay for dinner and recognize him as the Risen Christ when he prays and breaks bread. Jesus immediately vanishes from their sight. Japanese Master Printmaker Sadao Watanabe depicts the moment when "their eyes were opened" in this crinkled paper stencil print made using a traditional method for dying kimonos. He borrows a gesture usually seen in imagery of the Last Supper to convey the intimacy of the moment, showing one of Christ's followers resting his head on his shoulder in the manner of "the beloved disciple"at the earlier meal. This new post-Resurrection print can be found in the gallery of the Watanabe biosketch page. (John Kohan)