The story is in Luke 24. Three parts of the story stand out to me. In verse 17,

And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.
Luke 24:17 NRSV

https://bible.com/bible/2016/luk.24.17.NRSV

“They stood still,..” seems so poignant. It’s a phrase pregnant with sorrow.

And then in verse 19,

Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
Luke 24:18‭-‬19 NRSV

https://bible.com/bible/2016/luk.24.18-19.NRSV

“What things?” Is this Jesus being playful? The mood is so sombre, but soon, there will be joy. Jesus wants to hear them, to know their side of the story, maybe.

Finally verse 25,

Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
Luke 24:25 NRSV

https://bible.com/bible/2016/luk.24.25.NRSV

This, for me, is where the passage hits home. How am I hearing this, as a rebuke or an encouragement? Is this angry Jesus, shaming the hapless couple with a rebuke? It doesn’t say rebuke, so could it be friendly Jesus with a big smile on his face, wondering at their demeanour as he himself experiences the joy of resurrection? He really wanted them to see for themselves, to know for themselves… as one of our gathering said: all the authorities had turned on the one they loved, all their religious turned on their precious friend and he had died and not only that his body had gone.

Their hearts warmed at what Jesus showed them, and he walked on, deity in person, but they got him to stay, and the story resolves in bread and wine. A simple meal reveals and replaces all they have lost. The mystery is, it does it again and again; it does it today.

Oh, and what’s that dog doing in the picture?

Image source and permissions https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Repas_d%27Emma%C3%BCs.jpg#mw-jump-to-license