ELL Bible Study: Luke 22:63-23:12 — Jesus Is Mocked, Questioned, and Sent to Herod

This Bible study lesson is for people who are learning English (ELL or ESL students). It is made for advanced beginner and intermediate English learners. Children who speak English or adults who prefer easy English may also enjoy it and learn from it.

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Luke 22:63-23:12 Printable Discussion Questions

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever been treated unfairly or blamed for something you did not do? What happened?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus was made fun of and hurt by people before he died. We will see how the leaders and rulers treated Jesus unfairly, but he stayed quiet and strong. This lesson reminds us that Jesus understands when people treat us badly.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

Accuse — To say someone did something wrong.
Almighty — A name for God, showing he is very powerful.
Beat — To hit someone again and again.
Believe — To think something is true.
Blindfold — A cloth put over someone’s eyes so they cannot see.
Caught — To find someone doing something wrong or bad.
Chief Priests — The most important religious leaders of the Jewish people at that time.
Claim — To say something is true, even if others may not believe it.
Condemn — To say that someone is guilty and should be punished.
Contempt — A strong feeling of dislike or disrespect.
Council — A group of leaders who meet to make decisions.
Elders — Older men who led the people and made decisions.
Emperor — A very powerful ruler over a large land.
Enemy — A person who hates or fights against someone.
Fine Robe — A beautiful and expensive piece of clothing.
Galilee — A place in Israel where Jesus grew up.
Herod — A ruler in Israel during Jesus’ time.
Insist — To say something very strongly, again and again.
Made Fun — To laugh at someone or treat them badly in a joking way.
Messiah — The special person sent by God to save people.
Mislead — To give wrong information or confuse people.
Mock — To laugh at someone or make them look foolish.
Miracle — A special act of God that cannot be explained by normal ways.
Perform — To do something like a show or action.
Pilate — A Roman leader in Jerusalem when Jesus lived.
Pleased — Feeling happy about something.
Region — A large area of land.
Riot — A group of people fighting or making trouble in public.
Ruled — To be the leader or king over a place.
Seated — Sitting down in a place.
Son of God — A name for Jesus, showing he is God’s Son.
Son of Man — A name Jesus used for himself, showing he came to earth as a person.
Strongly — In a serious and forceful way.
Teachers of the Law — Religious teachers who knew and explained God’s laws.
Witness — A person who sees or hears something and can tell others what happened.

Summary of the Passage

This passage happens after Jesus was arrested. Some soldiers were guarding him, and they treated him badly. They made fun of him, beat him, and blindfolded him. They asked him to guess who was hitting him and said many unkind things.

Later, the leaders of the people met together. These leaders were called elders, chief priests, and teachers of the Law. They asked Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus told them they would not believe him even if he answered. They asked again if he was the Son of God, and Jesus said, “You say that I am.” The leaders decided they did not need anyone else to speak against him because they heard his words themselves.

Then, the leaders took Jesus to a ruler named Pilate. They accused Jesus of misleading people, telling them not to pay taxes, and calling himself a king. Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king, and Jesus gave a quiet answer. Pilate said he found no reason to punish Jesus.

But the leaders insisted that Jesus was causing trouble everywhere. When Pilate heard Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to another ruler named Herod. Herod was happy to see Jesus because he wanted to see a miracle. He asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus stayed quiet. Herod and his soldiers made fun of him and put a fine robe on him. Then they sent him back to Pilate.

This passage shows us that Jesus was treated very unfairly. People lied about him, hurt him, and made fun of him. But Jesus stayed calm and did not fight back. It teaches us that Jesus understands our pain and can help us when we feel hurt or alone.

Read The Passage

Most English learners should use the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV), or the Good News Translation (GNT). If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions.

Text from the ERV Bible Translation

The Guards Treat Jesus Badly
63 The men guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.
64 They covered his eyes so that he could not see them.
Then they hit him and said,
“Be a prophet and tell us who hit you!”
65 And they shouted all kinds of insults at him.
Jesus Before the Jewish Leaders
66 The next morning, the older leaders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together.
They led Jesus away to their high council.
67 They said, “If you are the Messiah, then tell us that you are.”
Jesus said to them,
“If I tell you I am the Messiah, you will not believe me.
68 And if I ask you, you will not answer.
69 But beginning now, the Son of Man will sit at the right side of God All-Powerful.”
70 They all said,
“Then are you the Son of God?”
Jesus said to them,
“You are right in saying that I am.”
71 They said,
“Why do we need witnesses now?
We all heard what he said!”
Governor Pilate Questions Jesus
1 Then the whole group stood up and led Jesus away to Pilate.
2 They began to accuse Jesus and said to Pilate,
“We caught this man trying to change the thinking of our people.
He says we should not pay taxes to Caesar.
He calls himself the Messiah, a king.”
3 Pilate asked Jesus,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered,
“Yes, what you say is true.”
4 Pilate said to the leading priests and the people,
“I find nothing wrong with this man.”
5 But they kept on saying,
“His teaching is causing trouble all over Judea.
He began in Galilee, and now he is here!”
Pilate Sends Jesus to Herod
6 Pilate heard this and asked if Jesus was from Galilee.
7 He learned that Jesus was under Herod’s authority.
Herod was in Jerusalem at that time, so Pilate sent Jesus to him.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very happy.
He had heard all about him and had wanted to meet him for a long time.
Herod wanted to see a miracle, so he was hoping that Jesus would do one.
9 He asked him many questions, but Jesus said nothing.
10 The leading priests and teachers of the law were standing there shouting things against Jesus.
11 Then Herod and his soldiers laughed at him.
They made fun of him by dressing him in clothes like kings wear.
Then Herod sent him back to Pilate.
12 In the past Pilate and Herod had always been enemies.
But on that day they became friends.
Luke 22:63-23:12 (ERV)

Text from the GNT Bible Translation

Jesus Is Mocked and Beaten
63 The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.
64 They blindfolded him and asked him, “Who hit you? Guess!”
65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Jesus before the Council
66 When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council.
67-68 “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”
He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; and if I ask you a question, you will not answer.
69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”
70 They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”
He answered them, “You say that I am.”
71 And they said, “We don’t need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”
Jesus before Pilate
1-2 The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate, where they began to accuse him:
“We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“So you say,” answered Jesus.
4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no reason to condemn this man.”
5 But they insisted even more strongly, “With his teaching he is starting a riot among the people all through Judea. He began in Galilee and now has come here.”
Jesus before Herod
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man a Galilean?”
7 When he learned that Jesus was from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle.
9 So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer.
10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus.
11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.
12 On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies.
Luke 22:63-23:12 (GNT)