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.

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Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is something that makes you feel safe and happy in your home?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about evil spirits, true happiness, and the light of God in our hearts. Jesus teaches how to live in a way that pleases God and brings peace inside us.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

1. authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
2. blessing: (noun) A good thing that God gives to his people.
3. evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
4. greater: (adjective) More important or larger than something else.
5. guilty: (adjective) Having done something wrong or broken a law.
6. judgment day: (phrase) The time when God will judge all people.
7. lampstand: (noun) A tall object used to hold a lamp.
8. miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
9. obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
10. sign: (noun) An amazing event that proves God is at work.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

1. authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
2. belong: (verb) To be in the right place or to be connected to something.
3. blessing: (noun) A good thing that God gives to his people.
4. change: (verb) To make something different.
5. compare: (verb) To look at how things are the same or different.
6. darkness: (noun) A place or time with no light.
7. emptiness: (noun) The state of having nothing inside.
8. evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
9. greater: (adjective) More important or larger than something else.
10. guilty: (adjective) Having done something wrong or broken a law.
11. judgment day: (phrase) The time when God will judge all people.
12. lampstand: (noun) A tall object used to hold a lamp.
13. miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
14. obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
15. preach: (verb) To give a talk about God and the Bible.
16. refuse: (verb) To say no to something.
17. selfish: (adjective) Thinking only about yourself and not others.
18. sign: (noun) An amazing event that proves God is at work.
19. Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
20. witness: (noun) A person who sees something happen and tells others.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

1. authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
2. become: (verb) To start to be something.
3. belong: (verb) To be in the right place or to be connected to something.
4. bless: (verb) To ask God to be kind to someone.
5. blessing: (noun) A good thing that God gives to his people.
6. body: (noun) The whole physical part of a person or animal.
7. bowl: (noun) A round dish used for holding food or liquid.
8. bright: (adjective) Having a lot of light.
9. bring: (verb) To take someone or something to a place right now.
10. call out: (phrase) To shout or say something in a loud voice so others can hear.
11. careful: (adjective) Paying close attention to what you are doing.
12. change: (verb) To make something different.
13. clean: (adjective) Not dirty.
14. come in: (phrase) To enter a room, a house, or a building.
15. come back: (phrase) To return to a place after being away.
16. come out: (phrase) To leave a person’s body, like a spirit.
17. compare: (verb) To look at how things are the same or different.
18. crowd: (noun) A very large group of people.
19. danger: (noun) Something that can hurt you.
20. dark: (adjective) When there is no light.
21. darkness: (noun) A place or time with no light.
22. doubt: (verb) To not be sure if something is true.
23. dry: (adjective) Not wet.
24. emptiness: (noun) The state of having nothing inside.
25. even: (adverb) Used to show that something is surprising.
26. evil: (adjective) Very bad and against God.
27. evil spirit: (phrase) A bad and powerful being from the devil that can hurt people.
28. eye: (noun) The part of the body used for seeing.
29. far away: (phrase) At a great distance from a person or a place.
30. fed: (verb) To have given food to a person or animal.
31. full: (adjective) Holding as much as possible.
32. gave birth: (phrase) To have a baby.
33. go out: (phrase) To leave a room or a building to go outside.
34. God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
35. greater: (adjective) More important or larger than something else.
36. grew: (verb) To have become larger or older.
37. guilty: (adjective) Having done something wrong or broken a law.
38. happen: (verb) To take place.
39. heart: (noun) The part of a person where they feel and think.
40. help: (verb) To do something useful for someone.
41. hide: (verb) To put something in a place where it cannot be seen.
42. instead: (adverb) In place of something else.
43. Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
44. Jonah: (noun) A prophet who was inside a large fish for three days.
45. judgment day: (phrase) The time when God will judge all people.
46. lamp: (noun) A tool that holds a small fire to give light.
47. lampstand: (noun) A tall object used to hold a lamp.
48. larger: (adjective) Bigger than something else.
49. left: (verb) To have gone away from a place.
50. let: (verb) To allow something to happen.
51. light: (noun) The brightness that lets us see.
52. look: (verb) To use your eyes to see something.
53. miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
54. neat: (adjective) Tidy and in the right place.
55. Nineveh: (noun) A large city where Jonah preached.
56. obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
57. part: (noun) A piece of something.
58. preach: (verb) To give a talk about God and the Bible.
59. prove: (verb) To show that something is true.
60. queen: (noun) A woman who rules a country.
61. refuse: (verb) To say no to something.
62. rest: (verb) To stop working so you can get your strength back.
63. right here: (phrase) Precisely in this spot or place.
64. selfish: (adjective) Thinking only about yourself and not others.
65. shine: (verb) To give off light.
66. show: (verb) To let someone see something.
67. sign: (noun) An amazing event that proves God is at work.
68. Solomon: (noun) A very wise king of Israel.
69. Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
70. source: (noun) The place where something begins.
71. south: (noun) The direction that is to the right when you face the rising sun.
72. spirit: (noun) A part of a person that we cannot see.
73. though: (conjunction) A word used to show a different idea.
74. through: (preposition) Moving from one side to the other.
75. travel: (verb) To go from one place to another.
76. trouble: (noun) A problem or a difficult situation.
77. under: (preposition) Below something.
78. way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
79. wise: (adjective) Having wisdom and making good choices.
80. witness: (noun) A person who sees something happen and tells others.
81. world: (noun) The earth and all the people on it.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about some of the things Jesus taught. First, Jesus spoke about evil spirits. He used a story about a house to explain a person’s life. He said that when an evil spirit leaves a person, it looks for another place to go. If it cannot find a place, it might return. If the person’s life is empty—like a clean house with no one living in it—and not filled with good things from God, the evil spirit might come back with even more spirits. This makes the person’s life worse than before. We must fill our lives with God so there is no room for evil.

Then, a woman in the crowd called out to Jesus, saying it must be a blessing to be his mother. But Jesus answered kindly that it is even better to listen to God’s word and obey it. That is the way to real happiness.

Jesus also talked about people asking him for a miracle. He said the only sign they would get is the sign of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet from long ago. He stayed inside a large fish for three days and then came out alive. Then he went to a city called Nineveh. The people there were doing bad things, but they listened to Jonah and changed their lives. Jesus said he is greater than Jonah. He is the Son of Man, and he is the sign that God is at work right now.

Lastly, Jesus talked about light. He said people put a lamp on a stand so others can see. He explained that our eyes are like a lamp for our body. If we let good things into our lives, we will be full of light. But if we fill our hearts with bad things, our lives will be dark.

This passage teaches us that we should fill our hearts with God’s word, trust in Jesus, and live in his light.

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.

The Danger of Emptiness
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of someone, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest.
But it finds no place to rest.
So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’
25 When it comes back, it finds that home all neat and clean.
26 Then the evil spirit goes out and brings back seven other spirits more evil than itself.
They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before.”
The People God Blesses
27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman with the people there called out to him,
“Blessings from God belong to the woman who gave birth to you and fed you!”
28 But Jesus said,
“The people who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who have God’s blessing.”
Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority
29 The crowd grew larger and larger.
Jesus said,
“The people who live today are evil.
They ask for a miracle as a sign from God.
But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them.
The only sign will be the miracle that happened to Jonah.
30 Jonah was a sign for those who lived in Nineveh.
It is the same with the Son of Man.
He will be a sign for the people of this time.
31 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the queen of the South, and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are.
Why do I say this?
Because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching.
And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!
“On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are.
I say this because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives.
And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!
Be a Light for the World
33 “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it.
Instead, they put it on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see.
34 The only source of light for the body is the eye.
When you look at people and want to help them, you are full of light.
But when you look at people in a selfish way, you are full of darkness.
35 So be careful!
Don’t let the light in you become darkness.
36 If you are full of light, and there is no part of you that is dark, then you will be all bright, as though you have the light of a lamp shining on you.”

Luke 11:24-36 (ERV)

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 11:24-36 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 11:24-36 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 11:24-36 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 11:24-36 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 11:24-36 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 11:24-36 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. What does an evil spirit do after it leaves a person?
2. What happens if the evil spirit comes back and finds the place clean and empty?
3. What did the woman in the crowd say to Jesus?
4. What was Jesus’ reply about true happiness?
5. Why did the people ask Jesus for a miracle?
6. What sign did Jesus say would be given to them?
7. Who was Jonah, and what did he do for the people of Nineveh?
8. Why did Jesus say the queen of the South would be a witness who shows how guilty the people are?
9. What does Jesus say about a lamp and its light?
10. How are our eyes like a lamp for our body?

Application Questions

1. How can we fill our hearts with good things from God?
2. Why is it important to obey God’s word and not just listen to it?
3. What do you think it means for our lives to be full of light?
4. How can you be a light to other people around you?

Theological Insights

1. Evil is real, but God’s power is stronger than evil spirits.
2. True happiness comes from hearing God’s word and obeying it.
3. Jesus is the greatest sign God has given to the world.
4. God calls people to turn away from sin and trust in him.
5. When we let God’s word into our hearts, it fills our lives with light.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for sending Jesus to show us how to live in your light. Help us to listen to your word, obey it, and keep your light shining in our hearts. Amen.

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 other teachings:

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