Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 5:17-26

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 5:12-26 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 5:17-26 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 5:17-26 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever helped a friend who was sick or in trouble? What did you do to help them?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus healed a man who could not walk. We will see the strong faith of the man’s friends. We will also learn that Jesus can forgive sins.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
forgive: (verb) To stop being angry at someone for a wrong they did.
forgiven: (verb) To have your sins taken away by God.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
lower: (verb) To move something down to a lower place.
paralyzed: (adjective) Not able to move your body or a part of your body.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
praise: (verb) To say very good things about God or a person.
prove: (verb) To show that something is true.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
ceiling: (noun) The top part of a room that is above your head.
cripple: (noun) A person who cannot walk or move their body correctly.
faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
forgive: (verb) To stop being angry at someone for a wrong they did.
forgiven: (verb) To have your sins taken away by God.
hole: (noun) An opening or an empty space in something.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
lower: (verb) To move something down to a lower place.
mat: (noun) A piece of material used for sitting or sleeping on the floor.
paralyzed: (adjective) Not able to move your body or a part of your body.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
praise: (verb) To say very good things about God or a person.
proof: (noun) Something that shows that a thing is true.
prove: (verb) To show that something is true.
respect: (noun) A feeling of honor or great wonder for someone who is powerful or good.
roof: (noun) The top covering of a building.
sin: (noun) Doing things that are against the rules of God.
Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

able: (adjective) Having the power or skill to do something.
amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
before: (preposition) In front of someone or something.
carry: (verb) To hold something and move it from one place to another.
ceiling: (noun) The top part of a room that is above your head.
completely: (adverb) In a way that is total or finished.
cripple: (noun) A person who cannot walk or move their body correctly.
dares: (verb) To be brave enough to do something difficult.
down: (adverb) Toward a lower place.
earth: (noun) The world where we live.
every: (adjective) All the people or things in a group.
everyone: (pronoun) Every person in a group.
faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
fill: (verb) To put as much as possible into something.
forgive: (verb) To stop being angry at someone for a wrong they did.
forgiven: (verb) To have your sins taken away by God.
front: (preposition) In a place where everyone can see.
Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
great: (adjective) Very large or very good.
happen: (verb) To take place.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
hole: (noun) An opening or an empty space in something.
immediately: (adverb) Happening right away without waiting.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
Jewish: (adjective) Relating to the people, religion, or culture of the Jews.
Judea: (noun) The region in the south part of Israel.
knew: (verb) To have had information about something in your mind.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
lower: (verb) To move something down to a lower place.
lying: (verb) Resting in a flat position.
mat: (noun) A piece of material used for sitting or sleeping on the floor.
maybe: (adverb) Used to say that something is possible.
minds: (noun) The part of people that thinks.
much: (adjective) A large amount of something.
other: (adjective) Different from the one already mentioned.
paralyzed: (adjective) Not able to move your body or a part of your body.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
picked up: (phrase) To lift something off the ground or a floor.
power: (noun) Strength or the ability to do something.
praise: (verb) To say very good things about God or a person.
proof: (noun) Something that shows that a thing is true.
prove: (verb) To show that something is true.
really: (adverb) Truly or very much.
respect: (noun) A feeling of honor or great wonder for someone who is powerful or good.
roof: (noun) The top covering of a building.
room: (noun) A space inside a building with walls.
sick: (adjective) Not feeling well or having a disease.
sin: (noun) Doing things that are against the rules of God.
sit: (verb) To rest your body on a chair or the ground.
some: (adjective) An amount that is not specific.
Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
stand: (verb) To be on your feet in an upright way.
stood up: (phrase) To move the body from sitting or lying down to a standing position.
such: (adjective) Like the one that was just mentioned.
take: (verb) To get or carry something away.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.
through: (preposition) Moving from one side to the other.
town: (noun) A place where many people live that is smaller than a city.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
went: (verb) To have moved to another place.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about a day when Jesus was teaching many people inside a house. Some important men called Pharisees and teacher of the laws were sitting there to watch him. They had traveled from many different towns in Galilee, Judea, and from the city of Jerusalem to hear his words. These men were experts in religious rules, and they wanted to see if Jesus was a true teacher from God. While Jesus taught the people, The Lord God gave him great power to heal those who were sick.

A man who was paralyzed lived in the town. To be paralyzed means that a person cannot move their body or walk. This man had some very good friends who wanted to bring him to Jesus, so they carried him on a sleeping mat. The house was so full of people that they could not find a way to get inside. These friends did not give up. They carried the man up the stairs to the flat roof of the house and made a hole in the ceiling. Then, they used ropes to lower the crippled man down into the room right in front of Jesus.

Jesus saw how much faith these friends had because they worked so hard to reach him. He looked at the sick man and told him that his sins were forgiven. Sin is when people do things that are against the rules of God. The Pharisees were very angry in their minds because they believed that only God had the power to forgive sins. They thought Jesus was giving an insult to God. Jesus knew their thoughts. He decided to prove his authority. He told the paralyzed man to stand up, pick up his mat, and go home. The man stood up immediately and walked home while praising God. Everyone was amazed to see such a great miracle.

This passage shows us that Jesus cares about our bodies and our hearts. He healed the man’s legs, but he also took away the man’s sins. It teaches us that true faith often requires us to work together with our friends. When we help others get close to Jesus, God is pleased and can do amazing things in their lives.

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 Heals a Crippled Man
17 One day Jesus was teaching the people.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there too.
They had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.
The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people.
18 There was a man who was paralyzed, and some other men were carrying him on a mat.
They tried to bring him and put him down before Jesus.
19 But there were so many people that they could not find a way to Jesus.
So they went up on the roof and lowered the crippled man down through a hole in the ceiling.
They lowered the mat into the room so that the crippled man was lying before Jesus.
20 Jesus saw how much faith they had and said to the sick man,
“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves,
“Who is this man who dares to say such things?
What an insult to God!
No one but God can forgive sins.”
22 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said,
“Why do you have these questions in your minds?
23-24 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.
But how can I prove this to you?
Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say,
‘Your sins are forgiven.’
There’s no proof that it really happened.
But what if I say to the man,
‘Stand up and walk’?
Then you will be able to see that I really have this power.”
So Jesus said to the paralyzed man,
“I tell you, stand up!
Take your mat and go home!”
25 The man immediately stood up in front of everyone.
He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God.
26 Everyone was completely amazed and began to praise God.
They were filled with great respect for God’s power.
They said, “Today we saw amazing things!”
Luke 5:17-26 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 5:17-26 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 5:17-26 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 5:17-26 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 5:17-26 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 5:17-26 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 5:17-26 (ESV)

Luke 5:17-26 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did the Pharisees and teacher of the laws come from?
What does it mean for a person to be paralyzed?
Why were the men unable to get their friend through the door of the house?
How did the men get the crippled man into the room with Jesus?
What did Jesus see that made him decide to help the man?
What did Jesus say to the man before he healed his body?
Why did the Pharisees think Jesus was giving an insult to God?
What name did Jesus use for himself to show he had the power to forgive?
What three things did Jesus tell the paralyzed man to do?
What did the man do as he was walking back to his house?

Application Questions

How do you feel when you see friends working so hard to help someone they love?
Why do you think Jesus chose to forgive the man’s sins before fixing his legs?
Who is a friend in your life that you can help bring closer to God this week?
How does it make you feel to know that Jesus knows what you are thinking in your mind?
What are some “amazing things” you have seen God do in your life?

Theological Insights

Jesus has the power from God to heal any kind of sickness.
Jesus is the Son of Man, so he has the authority to forgive our sins.
God is pleased when he sees us acting with strong faith.
Jesus knows our secret thoughts and everything that happens in our minds.
When God works in our lives, our first response should be to praise him.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,
We praise you because you are full of power and kindness.
We confess that we often do not have enough faith to trust you with our problems.
Thank you for sending Jesus to forgive our sins and give us new life.
Please help us to be good friends who lead others to your love.
Amen.