Jesus Heals a Man with Demons: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 8:26-39

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 8:22-39 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 8:26-39 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 8:26-39 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever helped someone who was going through a hard time? What did you do?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus helped a man who was suffering and alone. We will see Jesus’ power over evil and his care for one person in great need.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

ask: 1. (verb) To say something to get an answer. 2. (verb) To request help or to tell someone what you want.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
bottomless pit: (phrase) A hole that is so deep it has no end.
cave: (noun) A large hole in the side of a hill or under the ground.
chain: (noun) A row of metal rings joined together.
demon: (noun) An evil spirit that follows the devil.
force: (verb) To make someone do something they do not want to do.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
right mind: (phrase) The state of being able to think clearly and not be crazy.
seize: (verb) To take hold of something suddenly or by force.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

area: (noun) A part of a place or a country.
ask: 1. (verb) To say something to get an answer. 2. (verb) To request help or to tell someone what you want.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
bottomless pit: (phrase) A hole that is so deep it has no end.
bury: (verb) To put a dead body in the ground.
care: (verb) To look after or take care of something or someone.
cave: (noun) A large hole in the side of a hill or under the ground.
chain: (noun) A row of metal rings joined together.
command: (verb) To give an order to someone.
demon: (noun) An evil spirit that follows the devil.
force: (verb) To make someone do something they do not want to do.
free: (verb) To take away the power or control that something has over a person.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
herd: (noun) A large group of animals like cows or pigs.
jail: (noun) A place where people are kept as punishment.
please: (adverb) A polite word used when asking for something.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
right mind: (phrase) The state of being able to think clearly and not be crazy.
seize: (verb) To take hold of something suddenly or by force.
well: (adjective) Healthy and not sick anymore.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

across: (preposition) From one side to the other side of something.
afraid: (adjective) Feeling fear or being scared.
again: (adverb) One more time.
all over: (phrase) In every part of a place.
allow: (verb) To let someone do something.
area: (noun) A part of a place or a country.
around: (preposition) In a circle or on all sides of something.
before: (preposition) In front of someone or something.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
boat: (noun) A small vessel used for traveling on water.
bottomless pit: (phrase) A hole that is so deep it has no end.
break: (verb) To separate something into pieces.
bury: (verb) To put a dead body in the ground.
care: (verb) To look after or take care of something or someone.
cave: (noun) A large hole in the side of a hill or under the ground.
chain: (noun) A row of metal rings joined together.
clothes: (noun) Things that people wear to cover their bodies.
command: (verb) To give an order to someone.
dead: (adjective) Not living anymore.
demon: (noun) An evil spirit that follows the devil.
done: (verb) To have performed an action or task.
drown: (verb) To die under water.
evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
feet: (noun) The parts of the body at the end of the legs that a person stands on.
fell down: (phrase) To have dropped to the ground suddenly.
field: (noun) An open area of land.
follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
force: (verb) To make someone do something they do not want to do.
found: (verb) To have seen something you were looking for.
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.
go back: (phrase) To return to a place where you were before.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
gone: (adjective) Not here anymore.
got out of: (phrase) To have stepped out of a boat or a car.
hand: (noun) The part of the body at the end of the arm.
happen: (verb) To take place.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
herd: (noun) A large group of animals like cows or pigs.
hill: (noun) A high area of land that is smaller than a mountain.
inside: (preposition) In the inner part of something like a house.
jail: (noun) A place where people are kept as punishment.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
lake: (noun) A large area of water with land all around it.
Legion: (noun) A name for many evil spirits in one man.
long: (adjective) Measuring a great distance from one end to the other.
loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
many: (adjective) A large number of people or things.
Most High God: (phrase) A special name for God that shows he is the greatest and has the most power.
often: (adverb) Happening many times.
pig: (noun) A fat farm animal with a flat nose and a short tail.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
ran away: (phrase) To have left a place quickly to escape.
right mind: (phrase) The state of being able to think clearly and not be crazy.
sail: (verb) To travel on water in a boat.
seize: (verb) To take hold of something suddenly or by force.
send: (verb) To cause someone or something to go to a place.
sent: (verb) To have caused someone to go to a place.
shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
sit: (verb) To rest your body on a chair or the ground.
Son: (noun) A name for Jesus who is the Son of God.
town: (noun) A place where many people live that is smaller than a city.
well: (adjective) Healthy and not sick anymore.
went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
worn: (verb) To have had clothes on your body.
would: (verb) A word used to talk about something that might happen or something someone wanted to do.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells a story about Jesus helping a man in a very hard situation. Jesus and his followers arrived by boat in a place called Gerasa. A man who had demons inside him came to meet Jesus. The man had no clothes and lived in burial caves. In those days, these were holes in the rocks where people put the bodies of those who had died.

Living in these caves made the man “unclean.” In the Bible, being unclean meant a person was not allowed to be near other people or worship God. Because the demons inside him were very strong, the man also acted wild and dangerous. The people in the town were afraid of him. They tried to tie him with chains, but he would always break them. He had to live all alone in the dark caves because it was not safe for him to be near others.

When the man saw Jesus, he shouted loudly. The demons were afraid of Jesus and begged him not to send them away. Jesus allowed the demons to go into a herd of pigs. The pigs then ran off a cliff into the lake and died. The man was healed. He sat quietly at Jesus’ feet, wearing clothes, and thinking clearly.

The people who saw this were afraid. They asked Jesus to leave their area. But the man who had been healed wanted to stay with Jesus. Jesus told him to go home and tell others what God had done for him. So the man went through the town, telling everyone what Jesus had done.

This passage shows us that Jesus has power over evil and cares for people who are hurting. Even when others turn away, Jesus brings healing and peace. He gives people a new life and a new purpose.

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 Evil Spirits
26 Jesus and his followers sailed on across the lake.
They sailed to the area where the Gerasene people live, across from Galilee.
27 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man from that town came to him.
This man had demons inside him.
For a long time he had worn no clothes.
He did not live in a house but in the caves where the dead are buried.
28-29 The demon inside the man had often seized him, and he had been put in jail with his hands and feet in chains.
But he would always break the chains.
The demon inside him would force him to go out to the places where no one lived.
Jesus commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man.
When the man saw Jesus, he fell down before him, shouting loudly,
“What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
Please, don’t punish me!”
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
The man answered, “Legion.”
(He said his name was “Legion” because many demons had gone into him.)
31 The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.
32 On that hill there was a big herd of pigs eating.
The demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs.
So he allowed them to do this.
33 Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs.
The herd of pigs ran down the hill into the lake, and all were drowned.
34 The men who were caring for the pigs ran away and told the story in the fields and in the town.
35 People went out to see what had happened.
They came to Jesus and found the man sitting there at the feet of Jesus.
The man had clothes on and was in his right mind again; the demons were gone.
This made the people afraid.
36 The men who saw these things happen told the others all about how Jesus made the man well.
37 All those who lived in the area around Gerasa asked Jesus to go away because they were afraid.
So Jesus got into the boat to go back to Galilee.
38 The man he had healed begged to go with him.
But Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 “Go back home and tell people what God did for you.”
So the man went all over town telling what Jesus had done for him.
Luke 8:26-39 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 8:26-39 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 8:26-39 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 8:26-39 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 8:26-39 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 8:26-39 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 8:26-39 (ESV)

Luke 8:26-39 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did Jesus and his followers go by boat?
Who came to meet Jesus when he stepped ashore?
What was the man doing before he met Jesus?
Why did the man shout at Jesus?
What did the demons ask Jesus to do?
What happened to the pigs after the demons went into them?
How did the people feel when they saw the man healed?
What did the people ask Jesus to do?
What did the man want to do after he was healed?
What did Jesus tell the man to do instead?

Application Questions

How do you think the man felt when Jesus healed him?
Why do you think the people were afraid of Jesus after the man was healed?
Have you ever felt like you needed help that only God could give?
Who can you tell about what God has done in your life?

Theological Insights

Jesus has power over evil spirits and all things.
Jesus sees people who are hurting and brings healing.
Even when others are afraid or do not understand, Jesus still works with love and power.
God wants people to share what he has done in their lives so others can know him too.