Jesus Feeds 5,000 People: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 9:10-17

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 9:1-17 that may work better for native English speakers.

Copyright Notice: All lessons and printables on this website are protected by copyright. You are welcome to download and print them for free for personal use, small groups, or Bible classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not sell these materials or copy this content to other websites.

Luke 9:10-17 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 9:10-17 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is the biggest group of people you have ever eaten a meal with? What food did you share?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will hear a story about how Jesus cared for a big, hungry crowd. We will learn how Jesus used a small amount of food to feed thousands of people.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

a lot of: (phrase) A large amount or a high number of something.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
basket: (noun) A container made of straw or wood used to hold things.
broke: (verb) To have separated something into pieces.
feed: (verb) To give food to a person or animal.
fill: (verb) To put as much as possible into something.
God’s kingdom: (phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
loaves: (noun) More than one loaf of bread.
thank: (verb) To tell someone you are happy for what they did.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

a lot of: (phrase) A large amount or a high number of something.
afternoon: (noun) The time of day between noon and evening.
alone: (adjective) Being without any other people.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
around: (preposition) In a circle or on all sides of something.
basket: (noun) A container made of straw or wood used to hold things.
bread: (noun) A common food made from flour and water.
broke: (verb) To have separated something into pieces.
farm: (noun) Land used for growing food or keeping animals.
feed: (verb) To give food to a person or animal.
fill: (verb) To put as much as possible into something.
fish: (noun) An animal that lives and breathes in water.
follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
full: (adjective) Holding as much as possible.
God’s kingdom: (phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
loaves: (noun) More than one loaf of bread.
piece: (noun) A part of something larger.
thank: (verb) To tell someone you are happy for what they did.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

a lot of: (phrase) A large amount or a high number of something.
afternoon: (noun) The time of day between noon and evening.
alone: (adjective) Being without any other people.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
around: (preposition) In a circle or on all sides of something.
ate: (verb) To have put food in your mouth and swallowed it.
away: (adverb) At a distance from a place.
basket: (noun) A container made of straw or wood used to hold things.
bread: (noun) A common food made from flour and water.
broke: (verb) To have separated something into pieces.
buy: (verb) To get something by paying money for it.
came back: (phrase) To have returned to a place.
farm: (noun) Land used for growing food or keeping animals.
feed: (verb) To give food to a person or animal.
fill: (verb) To put as much as possible into something.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
fish: (noun) An animal that lives and breathes in water.
follow: (verb) To go after someone.
follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
full: (adjective) Holding as much as possible.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
God’s kingdom: (phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
late: (adjective) Happening after the usual time.
learn: (verb) To get new information or skills.
left: (adjective) Still remaining or staying in a place.
loaves: (noun) More than one loaf of bread.
look up: (phrase) To turn your eyes toward the sky or something high.
more: (adjective) A larger amount of something.
need: (verb) To require something because it is important.
only: (adjective) Just one and no more.
piece: (noun) A part of something larger.
place: (noun) A specific area, room, or location.
sat down: (phrase) To have moved your body into a seat.
send: (verb) To cause someone or something to go to a place.
sick: (adjective) Not feeling well or having a disease.
sit: (verb) To rest your body on a chair or the ground.
sky: (noun) The space above the earth where the sun and stars are.
sleep: (verb) To rest with your eyes closed in a deep way.
than: (conjunction) A word used to compare two things.
together: (adverb) With each other.
told: (verb) To have given information to someone.
took: (verb) To have carried or moved something from one place to another.
town: (noun) A place where many people live that is smaller than a city.
trip: (noun) A journey to a place.
until: (preposition) Up to a certain time.
welcome: (verb) To greet someone in a friendly way.
went: (verb) To have moved to another place.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about a time when Jesus and his special helpers, called apostles or disciples, were very tired. They went to a quiet town called Bethsaida to rest. But when people heard where Jesus was, they followed him. Jesus welcomed the people. He talked to them about God and made sick people well again.

Later in the day, it started to get dark. The apostles, who were Jesus’ close friends, told him to send the people away to find food and a place to stay. But Jesus surprised them. He told the apostles to give the people something to eat. The apostles were worried because they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. There were about five thousand men there, and even more women and children. Maybe there were ten thousand people in all.

Then Jesus did something wonderful. He asked the people to sit down in groups. He took the small meal, looked up into the sky, and thanked God. Jesus took the bread and broke it, which means he pulled it apart into smaller pieces so he could give it to everyone. Everyone ate as much as they needed. When they finished, there were twelve baskets of food left over!

This passage shows us that Jesus cares about both our hearts and our bodies. It teaches us that even when we do not have much, God can use it to help others. Jesus is powerful and loving.

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 Feeds More Than 5000
10 When the apostles came back, they told Jesus what they had done on their trip.
Then he took them away to a town called Bethsaida.
There, he and his apostles could be alone together.
11 But the people learned where Jesus went and followed him.
He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom.
He healed the people who were sick.
12 Late in the afternoon, the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said,
“No one lives in this place.
Send the people away.
They need to find food and places to sleep in the farms and towns around here.”
13 But Jesus said to the apostles,
“You give them something to eat.”
They said,
“We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.
Do you want us to go buy food for all these people?”
There are too many!
14 (There were about 5000 men there.)
Jesus said to his followers,
“Tell the people to sit in groups of about 50 people.”
15 So the followers did this and everyone sat down.
16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish.
He looked up into the sky and thanked God for the food.
Then he broke it into pieces, which he gave to the followers to give to the people.
17 They all ate until they were full.
And there was a lot of food left.
Twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of food that were not eaten.
Luke 9:10-17 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 9:10-17 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 9:10-17 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 9:10-17 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 9:10-17 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 9:10-17 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 9:10-17 (ESV)

Luke 9:10-17 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did Jesus and his apostles go to rest?
What did the people do when they heard where Jesus was?
What did Jesus do for the people when they came to him?
Why did the apostles want Jesus to send the people away?
How much food did the apostles have?
What did Jesus tell the people to do before eating?
What did Jesus do with the bread and fish before giving it out?
How many people ate that day?
How many baskets of food were left over?

Application Questions

Why do you think Jesus welcomed the people even when he was tired?
Have you ever shared food or help with someone even when you did not have much? How did it feel?
What does this story show us about how God can use small things for big work?
How can we show kindness and care to people around us, like Jesus did?
Why is it good to thank God for what we have, even if it seems small?

Theological Insights

Jesus cares about people’s hearts and bodies.
God can take small things and turn them into something big and good.
Jesus is powerful and can do miracles to help people.
We should be thankful for what God gives us, even if it seems little.
God wants us to trust him to provide for our needs.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for taking care of people and giving us what we need. Help us to be kind and to share with others. Thank you for Jesus’ love. Amen.