Jesus Heals and Brings Life: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 8:40-56

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 8:40-56 that may work better for native English speakers.

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Luke 8:40-56 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 8:40-56 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever been very sick or known someone who was very sick? How did you feel?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about two people who needed Jesus’ help. One was a very sick woman, and one was a father with a very sick daughter. We will see how Jesus cares for people and has the power to heal.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
believe: (verb) To trust in someone.
bleeding: (verb) Losing blood from the body.
bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
immediately: (adverb) Happening right away without waiting.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
made well: (phrase) To have been healed or fixed from a sickness.
spirit: (noun) A part of a person that we cannot see.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

able: (adjective) Having the power or skill to do something.
afraid: (adjective) Feeling fear or being scared.
amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
believe: (verb) To trust in someone.
bleeding: (verb) Losing blood from the body.
bother: (verb) To make someone feel annoyed or worried.
bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
crowded: (adjective) A place that is full of many people.
dead: (adjective) Not living anymore.
doctor: (noun) A person whose job is to heal sick people.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
immediately: (adverb) Happening right away without waiting.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
made well: (phrase) To have been healed or fixed from a sickness.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
power: (noun) Strength or the ability to do something.
spirit: (noun) A part of a person that we cannot see.
stand up: (phrase) To move your body from sitting or lying down to being on your feet.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

able: (adjective) Having the power or skill to do something.
afraid: (adjective) Feeling fear or being scared.
against: (preposition) To be in a position that is opposite to someone or something.
all around: (phrase) In every direction or on all sides of someone or something.
amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
before: (preposition) In front of someone or something.
beg: (verb) To ask for something very strongly or with deep feeling.
behind: (preposition) At the back of someone or something.
believe: (verb) To trust in someone.
bleeding: (verb) Losing blood from the body.
bother: (verb) To make someone feel annoyed or worried.
bottom: (noun) The lowest part of something.
bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
call: (verb) To speak a name to get someone’s attention.
coat: (noun) A piece of clothing worn over other clothes to keep warm.
crowded: (adjective) A place that is full of many people.
cry: (verb) To have tears come from your eyes because you are sad.
daughter: (noun) A female child.
dead: (adjective) Not living anymore.
died: (verb) To have stopped living.
doctor: (noun) A person whose job is to heal sick people.
dying: (verb) Losing life right now.
feeling: (noun) An emotion like joy or sadness.
feet: (noun) The parts of the body at the end of the legs that a person stands on.
felt: (verb) To have had a sensation in your body or an emotion in your heart.
forward: (adverb) Toward the front.
Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
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.
heard: (verb) To have received sound with your ears.
held: (verb) To have taken or kept something in the hand.
hide: (verb) To put something in a place where it cannot be seen.
immediately: (adverb) Happening right away without waiting.
inside: (preposition) In the inner part of something like a house.
Jairus: (noun) A leader in the synagogue whose daughter Jesus healed.
James: (noun) One of the first men who followed Jesus.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
John: (noun) One of the twelve followers of Jesus.
just: (adverb) Only or simply.
laugh: (verb) To make a sound that shows you are happy or think something is funny.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
let: (verb) To allow something to happen.
life: (noun) The state of being alive.
made well: (phrase) To have been healed or fixed from a sickness.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
moment: (noun) A very short period of time.
peace: (noun) A time of quiet and no fighting.
Peter: (noun) One of the main followers of Jesus.
power: (noun) Strength or the ability to do something.
push: (verb) To move something away from you.
saw: (verb) To have looked at something.
shake: (verb) To move quickly up and down or side to side.
sick: (adjective) Not feeling well or having a disease.
sleep: (verb) To rest with your eyes closed in a deep way.
spent: (verb) To have used something up, like money, time, or energy.
spirit: (noun) A part of a person that we cannot see.
stand up: (phrase) To move your body from sitting or lying down to being on your feet.
still: (adverb) Continuing until now.
stood: (verb) To have been on your feet.
stop: (verb) To not move or to finish doing something.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
touch: (verb) To put your hand or a finger on something.
wait: (verb) To stay in a place until something happens.
welcome: (verb) To greet someone in a friendly way.
went back: (phrase) To have returned to a place where you were before.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us about two people who needed help from Jesus. A man named Jairus came to Jesus because his young daughter was very sick. She was so sick she was about to die. Jairus begged Jesus to come to his home and help his daughter.

As Jesus walked to Jairus’ house, a large crowd followed him. In that crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had seen many doctors, but they could not help her. She believed that if she could just touch Jesus’ clothes, she would be healed. She reached out and touched his coat. Right away, her bleeding stopped and she was made well.

Jesus stopped and asked who had touched him. The woman came forward, shaking with fear. According to the laws of that time, her sickness made her unclean. This meant she was not supposed to touch anyone in a crowd. She was afraid because she had broken a rule, but Jesus did not get angry. Instead, he spoke kindly to her and said her faith had healed her.

While this was happening, someone came to tell Jairus that his daughter had died. But Jesus told Jairus not to be afraid, but to believe. Jesus went to the house and told the people the girl was only sleeping. The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead. But Jesus took her hand and told her to get up. Right away, she came back to life. Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat.

This passage shows us that Jesus cares about people’s pain and sadness. He has great power to heal and bring life. It teaches us to have faith in him, even when things seem impossible.

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 Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
40 When Jesus went back to Galilee, the people welcomed him.
Everyone was waiting for him.
41-42 A man named Jairus came to him.
He was a leader of the synagogue.
He had only one daughter.
She was twelve years old, and she was dying.
So Jairus bowed down at the feet of Jesus and begged him to come to his house.
While Jesus was going to Jairus’ house, the people crowded all around him.
43 A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years.
She had spent all her money on doctors, but no doctor was able to heal her.
44 The woman came behind Jesus and touched the bottom of his coat.
At that moment, her bleeding stopped.
45 Then Jesus said,
“Who touched me?”
They all said they had not touched him.
And Peter said,
“Master, people are all around you, pushing against you.”
46 But Jesus said,
“Someone touched me.
I felt power go out from me.”
47 When the woman saw that she could not hide, she came forward, shaking.
She bowed down before Jesus.
While everyone listened, she told why she touched him.
Then she said that she was healed immediately when she touched him.
48 Jesus said to her, “My daughter, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said,
“Your daughter has died!
Don’t bother the Teacher anymore.”
50 Jesus heard this and said to Jairus,
“Don’t be afraid!
Just believe and your daughter will be well.”
51 Jesus went to the house.
He let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.
52 Everyone was crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead.
But Jesus said,
“Don’t cry.
She is not dead.
She is only sleeping.”
53 The people laughed at him, because they knew that the girl was dead.
54 But Jesus held her hand and called to her,
“Little girl, stand up!”
55 Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up immediately.
Jesus said,
“Give her something to eat.”
56 The girl’s parents were amazed.
He told them not to tell anyone about what happened.
Luke 8:40-56 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 8:40-56 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 8:40-56 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 8:40-56 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 8:40-56 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 8:40-56 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 8:40-56 (ESV)

Luke 8:40-56 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did Jesus go in this story?
Who was Jairus, and what did he ask Jesus to do?
What happened to the woman in the crowd?
How long had the woman been sick?
What did the woman do to be healed?
How did Jesus know someone had touched him?
What did Jesus say made the woman well?
What bad news did Jairus receive while Jesus was talking?
What did Jesus tell Jairus when he heard the bad news?
Who went into the house with Jesus?
What did Jesus say about the girl when the people were crying?
What did the people do when Jesus said the girl was only sleeping?
What did Jesus do for the girl?
What did the girl do after Jesus helped her?
What did Jesus tell the parents not to do?

Application Questions

When you are afraid, who do you ask for help?
Why do you think the woman believed she would be healed if she touched Jesus?
How does it feel when someone cares about you when you are sad or sick?
What does this story teach us about faith in hard times?
How can we remember to trust God when we feel scared or worried?

Theological Insights

Jesus has the power to heal sickness and even bring the dead back to life.
Faith in Jesus is powerful, even when things seem hopeless.
Jesus cares about people who are hurting, no matter who they are.
Sometimes people laugh or do not believe, but Jesus can still do great things.
God wants us to trust him and not be afraid.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for loving people who are sick, sad, and afraid. Help us to trust you when life is hard. Thank you for Jesus, who heals and brings life. Amen.