What does Luke 24:19 mean?

Cleopas has been walking with a friend from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about seven miles away. They're talking about Jesus: how they thought He was the Messiah, but the Jewish leaders had Him killed. Then, that morning, the women disciples claimed that angels told them Jesus had risen from the grave. When Peter and John went to check, the tomb was empty (Luke 24:20–24).

While they talk, Jesus has come in next to them; His identity is hidden from them. He asks what they're discussing. Cleopas, who is apparently a vibrant storyteller, asks with incredulity if Jesus is the only visitor to Jerusalem who has not heard "the things that have happened there in these days" (Luke 24:18). Jesus takes the invitation and asks, "What things?"

As Cleopas tells Jesus His own story, he reveals who he thinks Jesus is. Because He is a prophet, Christ's words are mighty and verified by miraculous works. Cleopas and his associates had thought Jesus was "the one to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). They thought He was the Messiah and that He was going to free the Jews from the Romans.

Cleopas doesn't realize Jesus came to redeem Israel, but also the whole world—not from oppressive regimes, but from their sin. To do this, Jesus had to die. But because He died, He rose again. Neither do either of the men walking to Emmaus recognize Jesus; they don't believe the witness of the women and they don't believe the prophets (Luke 24:10–11, 22–23, 25). Still, Jesus graciously leads them to tell their story so He can fill in the gaps. When they finally recognize Jesus, they rush back to the disciples in Jerusalem with a new story to tell (Luke 24:30–35).