Joyful Moments in Christ

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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Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever asked someone for help when you could not fix a problem by yourself? What happened?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus healed a sick man without even going to his house. We will talk about how faith is important to God. We will also learn how Jesus cares for people from all nations.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

1. About To Die — Very close to death.
2. Authority — The right to tell people what to do.
3. Beg — To ask for something in a very strong and serious way.
4. Built — Made or put together something, like a house or building.
5. Consider — To think about something in a certain way.
6. Crowd — A large group of people.
7. Dear — Someone very loved or special to you.
8. Deserve — To be good enough to get something.
9. Earnestly — In a very serious and strong way.
10. Elder — A respected older person in a community.
11. Faith — Believing and trusting in God.
12. Far — A long distance away.
13. Finish — To complete or be done with something.
14. Following — Moving behind or after someone.
15. Found — Discovered or saw something after looking for it.
16. Friends — People you like and care about.
17. Get Well — To become healthy again.
18. Heal — To make someone healthy and better.
19. House — A place where people live.
20. Love — To care for someone very much.
21. Messenger — A person who brings a message or news.
22. Neither — Not one and not the other.
23. Officer — A person in charge in the army or police.
24. Order — To tell someone what to do.
25. Placed — Put in a certain position or job.
26. Roman — A person from the country of Rome.
27. Sent — Told someone to go somewhere.
28. Servant — A person who works in someone’s house or job.
29. Sick — Not healthy; feeling bad in the body.
30. Slave — A person owned by someone and forced to work.
31. Soldier — A person who fights in an army.
32. Superior Officer — A leader in the army who is in charge of others.
33. Surprised — Feeling something you did not expect.
34. Synagogue — A building where Jewish people meet to worship God.
35. Tell — To give information with words.
36. Trouble Yourself — To make something hard or difficult for yourself.
37. Turned Around — Moved the body to face another way.
38. Worthy — Good enough for something.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us about a time when Jesus was in a town called Capernaum. There was a Roman officer who had a servant he cared for very much. The servant was very sick and close to death. The officer heard about Jesus and believed Jesus could help. Since the officer was not Jewish, he asked some Jewish leaders to go to Jesus for him.

The Jewish leaders went to Jesus and asked him to help the officer’s servant. They said the officer was a good man who loved their people and even built a synagogue for them. Jesus agreed to go to the man’s house.

Before Jesus got to the house, the officer sent his friends with a message. He told Jesus that he was not worthy to have Jesus in his home. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant just by speaking, without even coming inside. The officer explained that, as a leader, he gave orders to his soldiers and they obeyed. He believed Jesus had this kind of power too.

Jesus was surprised by the officer’s faith. He told the people around him that he had not seen such strong faith even among the people of Israel. When the officer’s friends went back to the house, they found that the servant was healed.

This passage teaches us that Jesus listens when we come to him in faith. It also shows that Jesus cares for people from all nations, not just one group. Faith in God is powerful, and Jesus is able to help us even from far away.

Read The Passage

Jesus Heals a Roman Officer’s Servant
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people, he went to Capernaum.
2 A Roman officer there had a servant who was very dear to him; the man was sick and about to die.
3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his servant.
4 They came to Jesus and begged him earnestly, “This man really deserves your help.
5 He loves our people and he himself built a synagogue for us.”
6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the officer sent friends to tell him, “Sir, don’t trouble yourself. I do not deserve to have you come into my house,
7 neither do I consider myself worthy to come to you in person. Just give the order, and my servant will get well.
8 I, too, am a man placed under the authority of superior officers, and I have soldiers under me. I order this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; I order that one, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and I order my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
9 Jesus was surprised when he heard this; he turned around and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, I have never found faith like this, not even in Israel!”
10 The messengers went back to the officer’s house and found his servant well.

Luke 7:1-10 (GNT)

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

• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 7:1-10 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 7:1-10 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 7:1-10 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 7:1-10 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 7:1-10 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Where did Jesus go after he finished speaking to the people?
2. Who was sick and about to die in this story?
3. Who did the Roman officer ask to go to Jesus for him?
4. What did the Jewish elders tell Jesus about the Roman officer?
5. Did Jesus agree to go with them to the officer’s house?
6. What message did the officer send to Jesus before he arrived?
7. Why did the officer say Jesus did not need to come to his house?
8. What did the officer believe Jesus could do just by speaking?
9. How did Jesus feel when he heard about the officer’s faith?
10. What happened when the messengers returned to the officer’s house?

Application Questions

1. Have you ever believed something good would happen, even when it was hard to see?
2. Why is it sometimes difficult to ask others for help?
3. What can we learn about Jesus’ love from this story?
4. How can we show faith in our own lives when we face problems?
5. Who are people you can pray for when they are sick or in trouble?

Theological Insights

1. Faith is not only for one group of people; it is for everyone.
2. God cares for all people, no matter where they are from.
3. Jesus has the power to help us in every situation.
4. Faith means trusting Jesus, even when we cannot see how things will work out.
5. God listens to our prayers when we come to him humbly.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for showing us that you love all people. Help us to have strong faith like the Roman officer. Teach us to trust you in every part of our lives. Amen.

ELL Resources for the Gospel of Luke

More ELL Resources

You can find more Bible lessons for English learners on the main ELL page.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.