Jesus Heals a Man: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 4:31-37

This Bible study series is for people who are learning English. It is designed for advanced beginner and intermediate learners, but children or adults who prefer simple English may also enjoy it. I also have a Sunday School lesson on Luke 4:31-44 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 4:31-37 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 4:31-37 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever met someone who spoke with confidence and strength? How did it make you feel?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will see how Jesus healed a man who was hurt by an evil spirit. We will learn that Jesus has great power and loves to help people. This story will show us that Jesus speaks with authority, and even evil spirits must obey his command.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
come out: (phrase) To leave a place or a person.
command: (verb) To give an order to someone.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
Holy One: (phrase) A special name for Jesus that shows he is from God and has no sin.
mean: (verb) To have a specific idea or sense.
Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
warn: (verb) To tell someone about a danger that is coming.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
come out: (phrase) To leave a place or a person.
command: (verb) To give an order to someone.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
devil: (noun) The leader of all evil spirits and the enemy of God.
evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
free: (verb) To take away the power or control that something has over a person.
Holy One: (phrase) A special name for Jesus that shows he is from God and has no sin.
hurt: (verb) To cause pain to a person or animal.
in front of: (phrase) To be ahead of something or someone so you can see them.
loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
mean: (verb) To have a specific idea or sense.
news: (noun) Information about something that just happened.
power: (noun) Strength or the ability to do something.
Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
spread: (verb) To cover a larger area.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
warn: (verb) To tell someone about a danger that is coming.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
area: (noun) A part of a place or a country.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
Capernaum: (noun) A town by the sea where Jesus lived and taught.
come out: (phrase) To leave a place or a person.
command: (verb) To give an order to someone.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
devil: (noun) The leader of all evil spirits and the enemy of God.
down: (adverb) Toward a lower place.
evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
free: (verb) To take away the power or control that something has over a person.
Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
Holy One: (phrase) A special name for Jesus that shows he is from God and has no sin.
hurt: (verb) To cause pain to a person or animal.
in front of: (phrase) To be ahead of something or someone so you can see them.
inside: (preposition) In the inner part of something, like a house.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
left: (verb) To have gone away from a place.
loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
mean: (verb) To have a specific idea or sense.
Nazareth: (noun) The town where Jesus grew up.
news: (noun) Information about something that just happened.
other: (adjective) Different from the one already mentioned.
power: (noun) Strength or the ability to do something.
quiet: (adjective) Making very little noise.
Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
spoke: (verb) To have said words out loud.
spread: (verb) To cover a larger area.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
taught: (verb) To have helped someone learn something.
threw: (verb) To have used your arm to send something through the air.
warn: (verb) To tell someone about a danger that is coming.
went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
whole: (adjective) All of something.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us what happened when Jesus visited a town called Capernaum, a city in the area of Galilee. On the Sabbath day, which is the special day of rest for Jewish people, Jesus went to the synagogue. A synagogue is a building where people meet to pray and learn about God. Jesus began to teach the people there. They were amazed because he spoke with great power and authority. His words were not like other teachers; they were clear, strong, and wise.

While Jesus was teaching, a man with an evil spirit from the devil began to shout loudly. An evil spirit is a bad being that wants to hurt people. This spirit knew that Jesus was the Holy One. The Holy One is a special name that shows Jesus is from God and has no sin. The spirit was afraid and asked if Jesus came to destroy them.

Jesus warned the spirit to stop and told it to be quiet. He gave a command for the spirit to come out of the man. Right away, the spirit threw the man down in front of everyone. The spirit left the man and did not hurt him. The people were very surprised. They asked, “What does this mean?” They saw that Jesus had the authority to make evil spirits leave. Soon, the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.

This passage shows that Jesus has more power than any evil force in the world. He uses his authority to free people from fear and pain. We can trust that Jesus is strong enough to take care of us when we are afraid.

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.

Jesus Frees a Man From an Evil Spirit
31 Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee.
On the Sabbath day he taught the people.
32 They were amazed at his teaching because he spoke with authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man who had an evil spirit from the devil inside him.
The man shouted loudly,
34 “Jesus of Nazareth!
What do you want with us?
Did you come here to destroy us?
I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”
35 But Jesus warned the evil spirit to stop.
He said, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!”
The evil spirit threw the man down on the ground in front of everyone.
Then the evil spirit left the man and did not hurt him.
36 The people were amazed.
They said to each other,
“What does this mean?
With authority and power he commands evil spirits and they come out.”
37 And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.
Luke 4:31-37 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-To-Read Version: Luke 4:31-37 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 4:31-37 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 4:31-37 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 4:31-37 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 4:31-37 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 4:31-37 (ESV)

Luke 4:31-37 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did Jesus go in this story?
What day was it when Jesus taught the people?
How did the people feel about the way Jesus taught?
Who shouted loudly in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching?
What did the evil spirit call Jesus?
What did Jesus tell the evil spirit to do?
What happened to the man when the evil spirit left him?
How did the people feel after seeing what Jesus did?
What did people say about Jesus’ power?
Where did the news about Jesus spread?

Application Questions

Why do you think people listened to Jesus when he spoke?
How does it feel to know that Jesus is stronger than evil?
What are some things that make people afraid?
How can we remember that Jesus cares for us when we are scared?
Who can you tell about Jesus’ love and power this week?

Theological Insights

Jesus has complete power over evil spirits.
Evil spirits know who Jesus is and fear him.
Jesus uses his power to help people and free them from harm.
When Jesus speaks, his words have power and authority.
Jesus cares deeply about people’s hearts, bodies, and souls.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,
We praise you because Jesus has all power and authority over evil.
Please forgive us for the times we have been afraid instead of trusting you.
Thank you for sending your Holy One to free us from harm.
Please protect our families and help us to walk in your peace every day.
Amen.