Joyful Moments ESL

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 6:12-26 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever had to choose a team or group of people to help you with something? How did you decide who to pick?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus prayed before choosing twelve special helpers called apostles. We will see their names and learn why prayer was important to Jesus.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

1. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
2. brother: (noun) A man or boy who has the same parents as another person.
3. call: 1. (verb) To speak a name to get someone’s attention. 2. (verb) To give a name to someone or something.
4. choose: (verb) To pick someone or something from a group.
5. follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
6. mountain: (noun) A very high area of land.
7. named: (verb) To give a name to someone.
8. pray: (verb) To talk to God.
9. turn against: (phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.
10. zealot: (noun) A person who wants to see big changes in their country.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

1. all: (adverb) Every part of a group or thing.
2. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
3. brother: (noun) A man or boy who has the same parents as another person.
4. call: 1. (verb) To speak a name to get someone’s attention. 2. (verb) To give a name to someone or something.
5. choose: (verb) To pick someone or something from a group.
6. chose: (verb) To have picked someone or something from a group.
7. few: (adjective) A small number of people or things.
8. follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
9. Judas Iscariot: (noun) The follower who gave Jesus to his enemies.
10. later: (adverb) At a time in the future.
11. mountain: (noun) A very high area of land.
12. named: (verb) To give a name to someone.
13. next morning: (phrase) The early part of the day that comes after the current one.
14. night: (noun) The time when it is dark outside.
15. pray: (verb) To talk to God.
16. Simon Peter: (noun) A fisherman who became one of the most important followers of Jesus; he is known by both Simon and Peter
17. son: (noun) A male child.
18. stay: (verb) To continue in a place or a state for a period of time.
19. turn against: (phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.
20. zealot: (noun) A person who wants to see big changes in their country.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

1. all: (adverb) Every part of a group or thing.
2. Andrew: (noun) One of the twelve special followers of Jesus.
3. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
4. Bartholomew: (noun) One of the twelve special followers of Jesus.
5. brother: (noun) A man or boy who has the same parents as another person.
6. call: 1. (verb) To speak a name to get someone’s attention. 2. (verb) To give a name to someone or something.
7. choose: (verb) To pick someone or something from a group.
8. chose: (verb) To have picked someone or something from a group.
9. few: (adjective) A small number of people or things.
10. follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
11. God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
12. James: (noun) One of the first men who followed Jesus.
13. James (son of Alphaeus): (noun) One of the twelve special followers of Jesus.
14. Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
15. John: (noun) One of the twelve followers of Jesus.
16. Judas (son of James): (noun) One of the twelve special followers of Jesus.
17. Judas Iscariot: (noun) The follower who gave Jesus to his enemies.
18. later: (adverb) At a time in the future.
19. Matthew: (noun) A tax collector who became a follower of Jesus.
20. mountain: (noun) A very high area of land.
21. named: (verb) To give a name to someone.
22. next morning: (phrase) The early part of the day that comes after the current one.
23. night: (noun) The time when it is dark outside.
24. Philip: (noun) One of the twelve followers of Jesus.
25. pray: (verb) To talk to God.
26. Simon Peter: (noun) A fisherman who became one of the most important followers of Jesus; he is known by both Simon and Peter
27. Simon the Zealot: (noun) One of the twelve special followers of Jesus who belonged to a group that wanted to fight for their country.
28. stay: (verb) To continue in a place or a state for a period of time.
29. Thomas: (noun) One of the twelve followers of Jesus.
30. turn against: (phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.
31. went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
32. zealot: (noun) A person who wants to see big changes in their country.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us about an important time in the life of Jesus. He had all his followers around him, but he needed to choose a smaller group of men for a special job. An apostle is a special follower that Jesus chose to send out with a message. This message was the Good News that God loves people and wants to save them.

Before he chose these men, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. A mountain is a very high area of land. Jesus stayed there all night talking to God. He wanted to talk to his Father before making a big decision.

The next morning, Jesus called his followers together. From this group, he chose twelve men and called them apostles. These men helped Jesus by traveling with him and learning his teachings. They also helped by healing sick people and telling others that the Savior had come.

These men came from different lives. Some were brothers, like Simon Peter and Andrew. One was Matthew, who used to be a tax collector. In other parts of the Bible, Matthew is also called Levi. One was Simon, who was named the zealot because he wanted big changes in his country. Another man was Judas Iscariot. Later, this man would turn against Jesus and give him to his enemies. Jesus chose these twelve to be his closest helpers in his work for God.

This passage shows us that Jesus prayed before he made big choices. It teaches us that prayer is the best way to start a big task. We can ask God for help when we need to choose the right people to be in our 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 Chooses His Twelve Apostles
12 A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray.
He stayed there all night praying to God.
13 The next morning he called his followers.
He chose twelve of them and called them apostles.
These are the ones he chose:
14 Simon (Jesus named him Peter),
Andrew, brother of Peter,
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James, the son of Alphaeus,
Simon, called the Zealot,
16 Judas, the son of James,
Judas Iscariot (the one who turned against Jesus).

Luke 6:12-16 (ERV)

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 6:12-16 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 6:12-16 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 6:12-16 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 6:12-16 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 6:12-16 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 6:12-16 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Where did Jesus go to pray?
2. How long did Jesus spend talking to God?
3. What did Jesus do after he finished praying?
4. How many men did Jesus choose for the special group?
5. What was the special name for these twelve men?
6. What kind of work did these men do to help Jesus?
7. What was the message Jesus sent these men to share?
8. What do we know about the backgrounds of some of these men?
9. Who was the man that would later turn against Jesus?
10. Why did Jesus pray before he made this big decision?

Application Questions

1. When do you pray or talk to God?
2. Why is it good to pray before making a big decision?
3. Who are the good people in your life that you can learn from?
4. How can you help others in your family, school, or work?
5. What do you think it means to follow and learn from Jesus today?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus prayed to God before making important choices.
2. God cares about the people we choose to be close to us.
3. Jesus picked ordinary people to do his work.
4. One of Jesus’ apostles would later turn against him, but this was part of God’s plan.
5. Prayer is a good and important way to ask for help and wisdom.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,
We praise you because you always hear us when we talk to you.
We confess that we often make choices without asking for your help first.
Thank you for the apostles who shared the story of Jesus with the world.
Please give us wisdom when we need to choose the right path this week.
Amen.

A Sunday School Lesson

If you prefer a lesson that is better for English speaking children, see my Sunday School lesson for Luke 6:12-26. 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 about followers:

Scripture quotations marked (ERV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION ©2006 by Bible League International. Used by permission.