Jesus Corrects the Pharisees: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 11:37-54

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Luke 11:37-54 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 11:37-54 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Can you think of a time when someone looked very kind on the outside but was not kind on the inside? Would you like to share about it?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus spoke to religious leaders who were acting in wrong ways. We will hear how Jesus cares about what is inside a person’s heart, not just what they show on the outside.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

ancestor: (noun) A person in your family who lived a long time ago.
criticize: (verb) To say that someone is doing something wrong.
expert in the law: (phrase) A person who has studied many years to understand religious rules and teaching.
fair: (adjective) Treating everyone in the same way.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
religious: (adjective) Relating to religion or the worship of God.
strict: (adjective) Following rules in a very exact way.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
wisdom: (noun) Being able to understand what is true and right.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

ancestor: (noun) A person in your family who lived a long time ago.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
cheat: (verb) To do something dishonest to get what you want.
criticize: (verb) To say that someone is doing something wrong.
expert in the law: (phrase) A person who has studied many years to understand religious rules and teaching.
fair: (adjective) Treating everyone in the same way.
foolish: (adjective) Not showing good sense or wisdom.
grave: (noun) A place in the ground where a dead person is put.
hidden: (adjective) Something that is not easy to see or find.
marketplace: (noun) An open area where people buy and sell things.
obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
pay attention: (phrase) To think carefully about what someone is teaching.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
religious: (adjective) Relating to religion or the worship of God.
respect: (verb) To show that you think someone is important.
rule: (noun) A statement that tells you what you must do or not do.
strict: (adjective) Following rules in a very exact way.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

Abel: (noun) The second son of Adam who was killed by his brother.
agree: (verb) To have the same idea as another person.
altar: (noun) A special table used for giving gifts to God.
ancestor: (noun) A person in your family who lived a long time ago.
apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
badly: (adverb) In a way that is not good.
began: (verb) To have started something.
beginning of the world: (phrase) The time when God first made the earth and everything on it.
between: (preposition) In the space that separates two things.
build: (verb) To make something by putting parts together.
catch: (verb) To take hold of something that is moving.
cheat: (verb) To do something dishonest to get what you want.
clean: 1. (adjective) Not dirty. 2. (verb) To make something not dirty.
continue: (verb) To keep doing something.
criticize: (verb) To say that someone is doing something wrong.
cup: (noun) A small container used for drinking.
death: (noun) The end of a life.
dish: (noun) A flat plate or bowl used for food.
even: (adverb) Used to show that something is surprising.
evil: (adjective) Very bad and against God.
expert in the law: (phrase) A person who has studied many years to understand religious rules and teaching.
fair: (adjective) Treating everyone in the same way.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
finish: (verb) To reach the end of a task.
first: (adjective) Coming before all others in time or order.
follow: (verb) To obey or listen to the teaching of someone.
foolish: (adjective) Not showing good sense or wisdom.
force: (verb) To make someone do something they do not want to do.
forget: (verb) To not remember something.
fully: (adverb) In a complete way.
garden: (noun) A piece of ground used for growing flowers or food.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
grave: (noun) A place in the ground where a dead person is put.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
hand: (noun) The part of the body at the end of the arm.
hard: (adjective) Very difficult to do.
help: (noun) The act of doing something for someone.
hidden: (adjective) Something that is not easy to see or find.
hurt: (verb) To cause pain to a person or animal.
important: (adjective) Something that matters a lot.
inside: (preposition) In the inner part of something like a house.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
key: (noun) A metal tool used to open a lock.
kill: (verb) To end the life of a person or an animal.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
made: (verb) To have created or built something.
make: (verb) To create or build something.
marketplace: (noun) An open area where people buy and sell things.
meal: (noun) The food eaten at one time.
mint: (noun) A small plant that smells good and is used in food.
most: (adverb) A word used to show the highest amount of a quality.
much: (adjective) A large amount of something.
need: (verb) To require something because it is important.
obey: (verb) To do what a rule or a person tells you to do.
only: (adverb) A word used to show that no other person or thing is included.
outside: (adjective) Relating to the outer part of something.
pay attention: (phrase) To think carefully about what someone is teaching.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
plant: (noun) A living thing that grows in the earth.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
punish: (verb) To make someone suffer for doing something wrong.
religious: (adjective) Relating to religion or the worship of God.
respect: (verb) To show that you think someone is important.
rue: (noun) A small plant used as a spice.
rule: (noun) A statement that tells you what you must do or not do.
seat: (noun) Something you sit on.
send: (verb) To cause someone or something to go to a place.
should: (verb) A word used to say what is the right thing to do.
show: (verb) To let someone see something.
since: (preposition) From a certain time until now.
strict: (adjective) Following rules in a very exact way.
surprise: (noun) A feeling caused by something that was not expected.
synagogue: (noun) A building where Jewish people meet to pray and study.
table: (noun) A piece of furniture with a flat top used for eating or working.
taken away: (phrase) To have something removed or moved to another place.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.
Temple: (noun) The special building in Jerusalem where people worshiped God.
tenth of: (phrase) One part of something that is divided into ten equal pieces.
tomb: (noun) A place where a dead person is put.
took: (verb) To have carried or moved something from one place to another.
treat: (verb) To behave toward someone in a certain way.
trouble: (noun) A problem or a difficult situation.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
walk: (verb) To move by putting one foot in front of the other.
wash: (verb) To clean something with water.
way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
went out: (phrase) To have left the inside of something to go outside.
wisdom: (noun) Being able to understand what is true and right.
wrong: (adjective) Not right or not true.
Zechariah: (noun) A prophet in the Old Testament who was killed because he spoke for God.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about a time when Jesus was invited to eat with a religious leader called a Pharisee. The Pharisee was surprised because Jesus did not wash his hands in a special way before eating. In those days, religious leaders had strict rules about washing. They thought these rules made them clean before God. Jesus explained that it is more important to have a clean heart than just clean hands. God cares about what is inside a person.

Jesus then spoke strongly to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They liked to look important and be respected, but they did not care about being fair or loving God. They made strict religious rules for others but did not help people live better lives. Jesus told them they were like hidden graves. A hidden grave looks like a normal path on the outside, but it has death on the inside. Jesus meant the leaders looked good on the outside but were full of evil things inside.

Finally, Jesus warned the teachers of the law. He said they stopped people from learning the truth about God. Instead of helping others come closer to God, they made it harder. After Jesus left, the Pharisees and teachers became angry and tried to catch him with hard questions.

This passage teaches us that God cares about our hearts, not just what people see on the outside. It reminds us to love others, be fair, and help people know God’s truth.

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 Criticizes the Religious Leaders
37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him.
So he went and took a place at the table.
38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands first before the meal.
39 The Lord said to him,
“The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish.
But what is inside you?
You want only to cheat and hurt people.
40 You are foolish!
The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside.
41 So pay attention to what is inside.
Give to the people who need help.
Then you will be fully clean.
42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees!
You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden.
But you forget to be fair to others and to love God.
These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.
43 “It will be bad for you Pharisees because you love to have the most important seats in the synagogues.
And you love for people to show respect to you in the marketplaces.
44 It will be bad for you, because you are like hidden graves.
People walk on them without knowing it.”
45 One of the experts in the law said to Jesus,
“Teacher, when you say these things about the Pharisees, you are criticizing our group too.”
46 Jesus answered,
“It will be bad for you, you experts in the law!
You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey.
You try to force others to obey your rules.
But you yourselves don’t even try to follow any of those rules.
47 It will be bad for you, because you build tombs for the prophets.
But these are the same prophets your ancestors killed!
48 And now you show all people that you agree with what your ancestors did.
They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for the prophets!
49 This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them.
Some of my prophets and apostles will be killed by evil men.
Others will be treated badly.’
50 “So you people who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world.
51 You will be punished for the killing of Abel.
And you will be punished for the killing of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the Temple.
Yes, I tell you that you people will be punished for them all.
52 “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law!
You have taken away the key to learning about God.
You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning too.”
53 When Jesus went out, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him much trouble.
They tried to make him answer questions about many things.
54 They were trying to find a way to catch Jesus saying something wrong.
Luke 11:37-54 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 11:37-54 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 11:37-54 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 11:37-54 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 11:37-54 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 11:37-54 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 11:37-54 (ESV)

Luke 11:37-54 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where did Jesus go to eat?
What surprised the Pharisee about Jesus before the meal?
What did Jesus say is more important than washing the outside?
Why did Jesus call the Pharisees fools?
What did Jesus say the Pharisees loved in the synagogues and marketplaces?
How did the teachers of the Law feel when Jesus spoke this way?
What heavy things did the teachers of the Law put on people?
Who did Jesus say the people’s ancestors killed long ago?
What would happen to the people of Jesus’ time for these wrong things?
What did the teachers of the Law and Pharisees do after Jesus left?

Application Questions

Why do you think it is easier to look good on the outside than to have a good heart?
How can we show love and fairness to other people this week?
Is it possible to believe in God but still stop others from knowing him? How?
What can you do when you see someone being treated unfairly?
Why do you think God wants us to help others learn about him?

Theological Insights

God cares more about our hearts than our outward actions.
Religious leaders should help others come close to God, not make it harder.
God values fairness, mercy, and love, not only religious traditions.
People can look good on the outside but still be far from God inside.
Jesus shows us the truth and invites us to live in a way that pleases God.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for teaching us about loving you with our hearts. Help us to be fair, kind, and honest. Show us how to help others know your truth. Amen.