Turn from Sin: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 13:1-9

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.

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Luke 13:1-9 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 13:1-9 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever planted something or taken care of a plant? What happened to it?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus teaches people to turn away from sin and follow God. We will hear a story about a fig tree that did not grow fruit and what that means for our hearts.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

change your lives: (phrase) To stop doing bad things and start living in a way that pleases God.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
fertilize: (verb) To put something in the dirt to help plants grow.
fig tree: (noun) A specific kind of tree that grows sweet fruit that people can eat.
produce: (verb) To make or grow something.
sacrifice: (verb) To give a gift or an animal to God as an act of worship.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
sinful: (adjective) Full of sin or doing many wrong things.
useless: (adjective) Not helping or not working.
waste: (verb) To use something in a bad or careless way.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

blood: (noun) The red liquid inside the body.
change your lives: (phrase) To stop doing bad things and start living in a way that pleases God.
cut down: (phrase) To use a tool like an axe to make a tree fall to the ground.
decide: (verb) To make a choice.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
dig up: (phrase) To use a tool to move dirt and make a hole in the ground.
fertilize: (verb) To put something in the dirt to help plants grow.
fig tree: (noun) A specific kind of tree that grows sweet fruit that people can eat.
fruit: (noun) The part of a plant that has seeds and is often good to eat.
garden: (noun) A piece of ground used for growing flowers or food.
happen: (verb) To take place.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
produce: (verb) To make or grow something.
sacrifice: (verb) To give a gift or an animal to God as an act of worship.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
sinful: (adjective) Full of sin or doing many wrong things.
tower: (noun) A very tall building or part of a building.
useless: (adjective) Not helping or not working.
waste: (verb) To use something in a bad or careless way.
worshiper: (noun) A person who worships God.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

animal: (noun) A living thing that is not a person or a plant.
answer: (verb) To speak or write back to a question.
around: (preposition) In a circle or on all sides of something.
because: (conjunction) For the reason that.
blood: (noun) The red liquid inside the body.
brought: (verb) To have taken someone or something to a place.
change your lives: (phrase) To stop doing bad things and start living in a way that pleases God.
cut down: (phrase) To use a tool like an axe to make a tree fall to the ground.
decide: (verb) To make a choice.
destroy: (verb) To break something completely.
died: (verb) To have stopped living.
dig up: (phrase) To use a tool to move dirt and make a hole in the ground.
dirt: (noun) The ground where plants grow.
else: (adverb) Different or more.
fell: (verb) To have dropped down to the ground.
fertilize: (verb) To put something in the dirt to help plants grow.
fig tree: (noun) A specific kind of tree that grows sweet fruit that people can eat.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
found: (verb) To have seen something you were looking for.
fruit: (noun) The part of a plant that has seeds and is often good to eat.
Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
garden: (noun) A piece of ground used for growing flowers or food.
ground: (noun) The solid surface of the earth.
happen: (verb) To take place.
heart: (noun) The part of a person where they feel and think.
Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
kill: (verb) To end the life of a person or an animal.
let: (verb) To allow something to happen.
look: (verb) To search for something or someone.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
maybe: (adverb) Used to say that something is possible.
mix: (verb) To put different things together.
more: (adjective) A larger amount of something.
never: (adverb) Not at any time.
next: (adjective) Coming right after.
none: (pronoun) Not any of a group of people or things.
Pilate: (noun) The Roman leader who decided that Jesus should die.
plant: (verb) To put a seed in the ground so it will grow.
produce: (verb) To make or grow something.
sacrifice: (verb) To give a gift or an animal to God as an act of worship.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
should: (verb) A word used to say what is the right thing to do.
sinful: (adjective) Full of sin or doing many wrong things.
still: (adverb) Continuing until now.
story: (noun) A description of people and events that happened.
than: (conjunction) A word used to compare two things.
think: (verb) To have a specific opinion or a thought in the mind.
told: (verb) To have given information to someone.
took care of: (phrase) To look after a person, a place, or a thing and keep it healthy or safe.
tower: (noun) A very tall building or part of a building.
useless: (adjective) Not helping or not working.
waste: (verb) To use something in a bad or careless way.
worshiper: (noun) A person who worships God.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells us about a time when people were talking to Jesus. They told him about some people from Galilee who had been killed by a leader named Pilate. Pilate was a powerful and mean ruler. These people were killed while they were sacrificing animals to God. Sacrificing means they were giving a gift to God to show their love. Jesus asked the people if they thought these worshipers were more sinful than others because they died this way. He told them no. He said that if people do not decide to change their lives, they will also be destroyed.

Then, Jesus gave another example. He talked about eighteen people who died when a tower fell on them in a place called Siloam. A tower is a very tall building made of stone. He asked if these people were more sinful than everyone else living in Jerusalem. Again, Jesus said no. The lesson was that all people need to change their lives and follow God.

After this, Jesus shared a story about a fig tree. A man looked for fruit on the tree for three years but found none. He said the tree was useless and told his servant to cut it down. But the servant asked for one more year to take care of it. He said he would dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. Fertilizer is like vitamins for plants that helps them grow. If the tree gave fruit the next year, it could stay. If not, it would be cut down.

This passage teaches us that life is a gift, and God wants us to turn from wrong things. God is patient and kind, but he wants our lives to show good things.

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.

Change Your Hearts
1 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee.
Pilate had them killed.
Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing.
2 Jesus answered,
“Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee?
3 No, they were not.
But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people!
4 And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them?
Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem?
5 They were not.
But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this story:
“A man had a fig tree.
He planted it in his garden.
He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none.
7 He had a servant who took care of his garden.
So he said to his servant,
‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any.
Cut it down!
Why should it waste the ground?’
8 But the servant answered,
‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit.
Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it.
9 Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year.
If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”
Luke 13:1-9 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 13:1-9 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 13:1-9 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 13:1-9 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 13:1-9 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 13:1-9 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 13:1-9 (ESV)

Luke 13:1-9 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Who told Jesus about the Galileans who were killed?
What question did Jesus ask about the Galileans who died?
What did Jesus say people must do to avoid dying like them?
What happened to the eighteen people in Siloam?
What lesson did Jesus teach from these accidents?
What did the man want to do to the fig tree with no fruit?
What did the gardener ask the man to do?
What would happen if the fig tree still had no fruit the next year?

Application Questions

Why do you think Jesus wants people to turn away from sin?
Have you ever made a bad choice and wanted to fix it? What did you do?
Why is it good to have another chance to do the right thing?
How can we show good things in our lives like the fig tree should show fruit?
What is one good thing you could do this week to follow God?

Theological Insights

God is patient but wants people to turn away from sin.
Bad things in life do not always happen because a person is worse than others.
Jesus teaches that all people need to repent, not just those in trouble.
God gives people chances to change and follow him.
A life with God should show good fruit, like kindness, love, and peace.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for giving us chances to turn from wrong things. Help us to follow you and show good things in our lives. Teach us to be kind and faithful. Amen.