Jesus Heals a Roman Officer’s Servant: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 7:1-10

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 7:1-17 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 7:1-10 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 7:1-10 Printable ERV Passage

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 Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
army officer: (phrase) A leader in a group of soldiers who tells others what to do.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
give the order: (phrase) To use power to tell someone exactly what they must do.
near death: (phrase) Very sick or hurt and likely to die soon.
older Jewish leader: (phrase) A respected man from the Jewish community who helps make important decisions.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
worthy: (adjective) Deserving of respect or a reward.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
army officer: (phrase) A leader in a group of soldiers who tells others what to do.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
enough: (adjective) As much as you need.
faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
follow: (verb) To go after someone.
give the order: (phrase) To use power to tell someone exactly what they must do.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
Israel: (noun) The land and the people that God chose for himself.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
near death: (phrase) Very sick or hurt and likely to die soon.
obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
older Jewish leader: (phrase) A respected man from the Jewish community who helps make important decisions.
save: (verb) To keep someone from danger or death.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
sick: (adjective) Not feeling well or having a disease.
soldier: (noun) A person who is in an army.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
worthy: (adjective) Deserving of respect or a reward.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

about: (preposition) Telling what a thing or person is like.
amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
another: (adjective) One more of the same kind.
anything: (pronoun) Any thing or any part of something.
anywhere: (adverb) In or to any place.
army officer: (phrase) A leader in a group of soldiers who tells others what to do.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
built: (verb) To have made something, like a house.
Capernaum: (noun) A town by the sea where Jesus lived and taught.
enough: (adjective) As much as you need.
even: (adverb) Used to show that something is surprising.
faith: (noun) Believing and trusting in God.
finish: (verb) To reach the end of a task.
follow: (verb) To go after someone.
found: (verb) To have seen something you were looking for.
give the order: (phrase) To use power to tell someone exactly what they must do.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
heard: (verb) To have received sound with your ears.
help: (verb) To do something useful for someone.
Israel: (noun) The land and the people that God chose for himself.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
know: (verb) To have information about something in your mind.
life: (noun) The state of being alive.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
love: (verb) To care very much for someone and want what is best for them.
most: (adjective) The largest amount or number.
much: (adjective) A large amount of something.
myself: (pronoun) Used by a speaker to talk about their own person.
near death: (phrase) Very sick or hurt and likely to die soon.
need: (verb) To require something because it is important.
obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
older Jewish leader: (phrase) A respected man from the Jewish community who helps make important decisions.
only: (adjective) Just one and no more.
save: (verb) To keep someone from danger or death.
saying: (verb) Speaking words.
seen: (verb) To have looked at something with your eyes.
sent: (verb) To have caused someone to go to a place.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
sick: (adjective) Not feeling well or having a disease.
soldier: (noun) A person who is in an army.
some: (adjective) An amount that is not specific.
special: (adjective) Different and often better than what is normal.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
tell: (verb) To give information to someone by speaking.
turn: (verb) To move in a circle or to change direction.
under authority: (phrase) To be in a position where you must obey a leader or a set of rules.
went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
worthy: (adjective) Deserving of respect or a reward.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us about a time when Jesus was in a town called Capernaum. There was a Roman army 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

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 an Officer’s Servant
1 Jesus finished saying all these things to the people.
Then he went into Capernaum.
2 In Capernaum there was an army officer.
He had a servant who was very sick; he was near death.
The officer loved the servant very much.
3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some older Jewish leaders to him.
He wanted the men to ask Jesus to come and save the life of his servant.
4 The men went to Jesus.
They begged Jesus to help the officer.
They said, “This officer is worthy to have your help.
5 He loves our people and he built the synagogue for us.”
6 So Jesus went with them.
He was coming near the officer’s house when the officer sent friends to say,
“Lord, you don’t need to do anything special for me.
I am not good enough for you to come into my house.
7 That is why I did not come to you myself.
You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed.
8 I know this because I am a man under the authority of other men.
And I have soldiers under my authority.
I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes.
And I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes.
And I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.
He turned to the people following him and said,
“I tell you, this is the most faith I have seen anywhere, even in Israel.”
10 The group that was sent to Jesus went back to the house.
There they found that the servant was healed.
Luke 7:1-10 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 7:1-10 (ERV)
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)

Luke 7:1-10 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

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

Application Questions

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

Theological Insights

Faith is not only for one group of people; it is for everyone.
God cares for all people, no matter where they are from.
Jesus has the power to help us in every situation.
Faith means trusting Jesus, even when we cannot see how things will work out.
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 army officer. Teach us to trust you in every part of our lives. Amen.