According to the Gospel of Luke, after his death and resurrection Jesus appeared to two of his disciples on the road to the town of Emmaus. The men did not recognize him, but they invited him to dine with them. After Jesus blessed the bread, the disciples suddenly recognized him, as this print depicts.

The composition of The Holy Family at Table, nearby, references this familiar story, reminding viewers that this scene is also about a moment of recognition. Joseph’s stunned response to Jesus recalls the reactions of Jesus’s disciples in this print.