This Bible study series uses simple English so everyone can understand. It is perfect for ESL students, homeschool children, and anyone who wants to grow in faith. I also have a Sunday School lesson on Luke 5:33-6:11 that may work better for native English speakers.
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Lesson Icebreaker Question
What is one of your favorite things to do on a day off or a day to rest?
Lesson Highlight
In this lesson, we will learn about a time when people asked Jesus why his disciples picked food on a special day called the Sabbath. We will hear Jesus’ wise answer and learn what it means to honor God with our hearts, not just rules.
Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation
Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)
- against: (preposition) Not allowed by a set of rules or a law.
- God’s house: (phrase) A holy place, like the Tabernacle or the Temple, where people go to meet with God.
- grain field: (phrase) A wide piece of land where plants like wheat or barley are grown for food.
- hungry: (adjective) Needing or wanting food.
- Law of Moses: (phrase) The rules that God gave to the people of Israel through a man named Moses.
- over: (preposition) To have power or authority across something.
- Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
- priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
- rub: (verb) To move your hand over something.
- Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
Important Words to Know (20 words)
- against: (preposition) Not allowed by a set of rules or a law.
- ate: (verb) To have put food in your mouth and swallowed it.
- bread: (noun) A common food made from flour and water.
- David: (noun) A great king of Israel who lived long before Jesus.
- follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
- God’s house: (phrase) A holy place, like the Tabernacle or the Temple, where people go to meet with God.
- grain field: (phrase) A wide piece of land where plants like wheat or barley are grown for food.
- hungry: (adjective) Needing or wanting food.
- Law of Moses: (phrase) The rules that God gave to the people of Israel through a man named Moses.
- Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
- Moses: (noun) A great leader of Israel who lived long before Jesus.
- offer: (verb) To give something to someone.
- over: (preposition) To have power or authority across something.
- Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
- pick: (verb) To pull a part of a plant off with your fingers.
- priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
- read: (verb) To look at words and understand them.
- rub: (verb) To move your hand over something.
- Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
- Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
Complete Lesson Word Bank
- about: (preposition) Telling what a thing or person is like.
- against: (preposition) Not allowed by a set of rules or a law.
- answer: (verb) To speak or write back to a question.
- ate: (verb) To have put food in your mouth and swallowed it.
- bread: (noun) A common food made from flour and water.
- David: (noun) A great king of Israel who lived long before Jesus.
- eat: (verb) To put food in your mouth and swallow it.
- field: (noun) An open area of land.
- follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
- gave: (verb) To have handed something over to another person.
- God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
- God’s house: (phrase) A holy place, like the Tabernacle or the Temple, where people go to meet with God.
- grain field: (phrase) A wide piece of land where plants like wheat or barley are grown for food.
- hand: (noun) The part of the body at the end of the arm.
- house: (noun) A building where people live.
- hungry: (adjective) Needing or wanting food.
- Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
- Law of Moses: (phrase) The rules that God gave to the people of Israel through a man named Moses.
- Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
- Moses: (noun) A great leader of Israel who lived long before Jesus.
- offer: (verb) To give something to someone.
- one time: (phrase) A phrase used to talk about something that happened in the past.
- only: (adjective) Just one and no more.
- over: (preposition) To have power or authority across something.
- Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
- pick: (verb) To pull a part of a plant off with your fingers.
- punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
- priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
- read: (verb) To look at words and understand them.
- rub: (verb) To move your hand over something.
- Sabbath day: (phrase) The seventh day of the week that is a special day of rest for Jewish people to worship God.
- 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.
- through: (preposition) Moving from one side to the other.
- took: (verb) To have carried or moved something from one place to another.
- walk: (verb) To move by putting one foot in front of the other.
- went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
Summary of the Passage
This passage tells about one time when Jesus and his followers were walking through some grain fields. It was the Sabbath day, which is the seventh day of the week and a special time of rest for Jewish people to worship God. While they were walking, the followers became very hungry. They began to pick some grain, rub it in their hands to remove the shells, and ate it as they walked.
Some Pharisees saw the followers doing this and became very upset. These Pharisees were religious leaders who were very strict about following every small rule of the Law of Moses. They believed that picking the grain was a kind of work that was against the law on a day of rest. They asked Jesus why his followers were allowed to do things that were not permitted on the Sabbath day.
Jesus answered these leaders with a story about King David, who lived long before Jesus. One time, David and his men were very hungry, so they went into God’s house to find food. David took the special bread that was offered to God and ate it. He even gave some of the bread to the men who were with him. The law said that only a priest could eat that special bread, but God did not punish David because he needed the food.
Finally, Jesus told the Pharisees that the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day. By using this special name for himself, Jesus was saying that he has the power to decide what is right and good to do on that day.
This passage shows us that Jesus has the authority of God. He teaches us that God cares about our needs. Following the rules is important, but having a heart of love for God and people is even more important.
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 Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day
Luke 6:1-5 (ERV)
1 One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields.
His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it.
2 Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing that?
It is against the Law of Moses to do that on the Sabbath day.”
3 Jesus answered,
“You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry.
4 David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was offered to God and ate it.
And he gave some of the bread to the people with him.
This was against the Law of Moses, which says that only the priests can eat that bread.”
5 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees,
“The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”
- Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 6:1-5 (ERV)
- Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 6:1-5 (NIRV)
- Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 6:1-5 (GNT)
- Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 6:1-5 (NLT)
- Hard: New International Version: Luke 6:1-5 (NIV)
- Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 6:1-5 (ESV)
Comprehension Questions
- Where were Jesus and his followers walking?
- What did the followers do in the grain fields?
- Why did the Pharisees become upset?
- What was the Sabbath day?
- What story did Jesus tell about David?
- Who was allowed to eat the special bread in God’s house?
- Why did David and his men eat the bread?
- What did Jesus say about the Son of Man?
- What does it mean that Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath?
- What can we learn from the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees?
Application Questions
- What do you like to do when you need to rest?
- Why is it important for people to have food when they are hungry?
- Have you ever helped someone when it was difficult to follow a rule?
- How can we remember to care for people’s needs instead of only rules?
- How can we honor God in our hearts every day?
Theological Insights
- God gave the Sabbath day as a gift to people for rest and worship.
- Jesus is the Son of Man and has the power to rule over the Sabbath.
- God cares about our needs and our hearts more than strict rules.
- It is good to help others, even on special days of rest.
- Jesus teaches us that the laws of God are made for our good.
Closing Prayer
Dear Father,
We praise you because you are the Lord of our lives.
We confess that we do not always show love to people in need.
Thank you for giving us food to eat and a day to rest.
Please help us to follow Jesus with kind and loving hearts.
Amen.
A Sunday School Lesson
If you prefer a lesson that is better for English speaking children, see my Sunday School lesson for Luke 5:33-6:11. This lesson includes:
- Advice for Sunday School Teachers
- Activity Suggestions
- Discussion Questions
Luke Bible Study Series
You can explore my complete collection of 104 free Bible study lessons for ESL learners, homeschool families, and anyone who enjoys easy English. The studies are organized into 6 simple sections to help you grow in faith at your own pace:
- Part 1: The Birth and Early Life of Jesus (Lessons 1–11)
- Part 2: Jesus Begins His Ministry (Lessons 12–23)
- Part 3: Teaching and Miracles (Lessons 24–40)
- Part 4: The Journey to Jerusalem (Lessons 41–60)
- Part 5: Parables and Teachings (Lessons 61–83)
- Part 6: The Final Week and Resurrection (Lessons 84–104)
More Easy English Resources
More Related Resources
Visit the Joyful Moments ESL homepage for all posts, or scroll through more blog posts on the Sabbath:
Scripture quotations marked (ERV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION ©2006 by Bible League International. Used by permission.
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