Humility and the Great Feast: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 14:7-24

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 14:7-24 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 14:7-24 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is one of the nicest meals you have ever been invited to?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will hear a story Jesus told about being humble and kind. We will learn why it is important to care for people who cannot give anything back to us. Jesus also teaches about God’s big feast in heaven.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

cripple: (noun) A person who cannot walk or move their body correctly.
embarrass: (verb) To make someone feel shy or ashamed.
excuse: (noun) A reason you give to explain why you did something wrong.
feast: (noun) A large, special meal for many people.
godly: (adjective) Living in a way that honors God.
honor: (noun) High respect or fame.
humble: (adjective) Not thinking you are more important than others.
invite: (verb) To ask someone to come to a place or an event.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
reward: (noun) Something good given for doing a good job.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

alley: (noun) A narrow street behind or between buildings.
blessing: (noun) A good thing that God gives to his people.
blind: (adjective) Not able to see.
cripple: (noun) A person who cannot walk or move their body correctly.
embarrass: (verb) To make someone feel shy or ashamed.
excuse: (noun) A reason you give to explain why you did something wrong.
feast: (noun) A large, special meal for many people.
godly: (adjective) Living in a way that honors God.
guest: (noun) A person who is visiting a home or a party.
highway: (noun) A main road that many people use to travel between towns.
honor: (noun) High respect or fame.
humble: (adjective) Not thinking you are more important than others.
invite: (verb) To ask someone to come to a place or an event.
lame: (adjective) Not able to walk correctly because of an injury.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
reward: (noun) Something good given for doing a good job.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
story: (noun) A description of people and events that happened.
wedding: (noun) A party where a man and a woman get married.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

alley: (noun) A narrow street behind or between buildings.
angry: (adjective) Feeling very mad about something.
another: 1. (adjective) One more of the same kind. 2. (adjective) A different one.
best: (adjective) Better than all the others.
better: (adjective) More good than something else.
blessing: (noun) A good thing that God gives to his people.
blind: (adjective) Not able to see.
bought: (verb) To have received something by paying money for it.
bring: (verb) To take someone or something to a place.
choose: (verb) To pick someone or something from a group.
country: (noun) An area of land that has its own king or leaders.
cripple: (noun) A person who cannot walk or move their body correctly.
death: (noun) The end of a life.
dinner: (noun) The main meal of the day.
embarrass: (verb) To make someone feel shy or ashamed.
excuse: (noun) A reason you give to explain why you did something wrong.
feast: (noun) A large, special meal for many people.
field: (noun) An open area of land.
first: (adjective) Coming before all others in time or order.
full: (adjective) Holding as much as possible.
go out: (phrase) To leave a room or a building to go outside.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
God’s kingdom: (phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
godly: (adjective) Living in a way that honors God.
great: (adjective) Very large or very good.
guest: (noun) A person who is visiting a home or a party.
happen: (verb) To take place.
heard: (verb) To have received sound with your ears.
highway: (noun) A main road that many people use to travel between towns.
honor: (noun) High respect or fame.
humble: (adjective) Not thinking you are more important than others.
hurry: (verb) To move or do something very fast.
important: (adjective) Something that matters a lot.
in front of: (phrase) To be ahead of something or someone so you can see them.
instead: (adverb) In place of something else.
invite: (verb) To ask someone to come to a place or an event.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
just: (adverb) A word used to show that something happened a very short time ago.
lame: (adjective) Not able to walk correctly because of an injury.
last: (adjective) Coming after all the others.
later: (adverb) At a time in the future.
look: (verb) To use your eyes to see something.
lunch: (noun) A meal eaten in the middle of the day.
made: (verb) To have created or built something.
make: 1. (verb) To create or build something. 2. (verb) To cause a feeling or a change.
married: (adjective) Having a husband or a wife.
master: (noun) A person who has power over others or a great teacher.
may: (verb) Used to show that something is possible.
meal: (noun) The food eaten at one time.
most: (adjective/adverb) A word used to show the highest amount of a quality.
move down: (phrase) To change seats to a place that is less important.
move up: (phrase) To change seats to a place that is more important or better.
must: (verb) To need to do something.
neighbor: (noun) A person who lives near you.
noticed: (verb) To have seen or paid attention to something.
other: (adjective) Different from the one already mentioned.
pair: (noun) Two things that go together.
pay back: (phrase) To give money back to someone because you owed it to them.
Pharisee: (noun) A religious leader who was very strict about rules.
please: (adverb) A polite word used when asking for something.
poor: (adjective) Having very little money or things.
prepare: (verb) To get something ready.
ready: (adjective) Prepared to do something.
relative: (noun) A person in your family.
return: (verb) To come back to a place.
reward: (noun) Something good given for doing a good job.
rich: (adjective) Having a lot of money or things.
rise: (verb) To get up or go up.
road: (noun) A path for people or cars to travel on.
seat: (noun) Something you sit on.
sent: (verb) To have caused someone to go to a place.
servant: (noun) A person who works for another person.
sit: (verb) To rest your body on a chair or the ground.
still: (adverb) Continuing until now.
street: (noun) A road in a city or town.
table: (noun) A piece of furniture with a flat top used for eating or working.
than: (conjunction) A word used to compare two things.
town: (noun) A place where many people live that is smaller than a city.
try out: (phrase) To test something to see if it works well.
wedding: (noun) A party where a man and a woman get married.
work animal: (phrase) An animal like an ox or a donkey that helps people with hard jobs.

Summary of the Passage

This passage shows us a day when Jesus was eating at the home of a Pharisee. A Pharisee was a religious leader who followed very strict rules. Jesus noticed how some guests tried to sit in the best seats. In those days, where you sat showed how important people thought you were.

Jesus told a story called a parable to teach them about being humble. To be humble means you do not think you are more important than others. He said it is better to sit in a low place. Then, the host may invite you to move up to a better seat. This gives you honor and respect in front of the other people.

Then, Jesus spoke to the man who invited him. He said when you have a feast, do not just invite family, friends, or rich neighbors. Instead, invite people who are poor and without much money. Invite the blind, who cannot see with their eyes. Invite the crippled, who cannot walk or move their bodies easily. These people cannot pay you back, yet God will give you a reward later in heaven.

Jesus also told a story about a man who prepared a big feast. When the food was ready, the invited guests made excuses. An excuse is a reason you give to explain why you did not do something. One said he bought a field. Another bought work animals. A third man just got married. None of them came!

The master was angry. He told his servant to go into the alleys and streets to find the poor and lonely people. He wanted his house to be full. He wanted everyone to know that people who refuse God’s invite will miss out on his great feast.

This passage teaches us that God wants us to be humble and ready to say “yes” to his invitation!

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.

Don’t Make Yourself Important
7 Then Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit.
So he told this story:
8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t sit in the most important seat.
They may have invited someone more important than you.
9 And if you are sitting in the most important seat, they will come to you and say,
‘Give this man your seat!’
Then you will have to move down to the last place and be embarrassed.
10 “So when someone invites you, go sit in the seat that is not important.
Then they will come to you and say,
‘Friend, move up here to this better place!’
What an honor this will be for you in front of all the other guests.
11 Everyone who makes themselves important will be made humble.
But everyone who makes themselves humble will be made important.”
You Will Be Rewarded
12 Then Jesus said to the Pharisee who had invited him,
“When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors.
At another time they will pay you back by inviting you to eat with them.
13 Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, and the blind.
14 Then you will have great blessings, because these people cannot pay you back.
They have nothing.
But God will reward you at the time when all godly people rise from death.”
A Story About People Invited to a Dinner
15 One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things.
The man said to him,
“It will be a great blessing for anyone to eat a meal in God’s kingdom!”
16 Jesus said to him,
“A man gave a big dinner.
He invited many people.
17 When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests,
‘Come. The food is ready.’
18 But all the guests said they could not come.
Each one made an excuse.
The first one said,
‘I have just bought a field, so I must go look at it.
Please excuse me.’
19 Another man said,
‘I have just bought five pairs of work animals; I must go and try them out.
Please excuse me.’
20 A third man said,
‘I just got married; I can’t come.’
21 “So the servant returned and told his master what happened.
The master was angry.
He said,
‘Hurry!
Go into the streets and alleys of the town.
Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
22 “Later, the servant said to him,
‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’
23 The master said to the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and country roads.
Tell the people there to come.
I want my house to be full!
24 I tell you, not one of those people I invited first will eat any of this food I prepared.’”
Luke 14:7-24 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 14:7-24 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 14:7-24 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 14:7-24 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 14:7-24 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 14:7-24 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 14:7-24 (ESV)

Luke 14:7-24 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Where was Jesus when he saw people choosing the best places to sit?
What lesson did Jesus teach about choosing a place at a meal?
Who did Jesus say we should invite to our meals?
Why did Jesus say we should invite poor and sick people?
What did one of the guests say about the Kingdom of God?
What did Jesus say about the man giving a big feast?
Why did the first people invited not come to the feast?
Who did the master tell the servant to invite next?
Was there still room after those people came?
What did the master tell the servant to do after that?

Application Questions

Why is it important to be humble and not think we are better than others?
Have you ever helped someone who could not give you anything back? How did it feel?
Why do you think people made excuses not to come to the feast?
What can we learn about God’s invitation to be with him?
How can you show kindness to someone who feels left out this week?

Theological Insights

God invites people to be part of his kingdom, but not everyone accepts the invitation.
God cares about the poor, sick, and lonely, and wants us to care about them too.
When we show kindness without expecting anything back, God is pleased.
Jesus teaches that true honor comes from being humble.
One day there will be a great feast in heaven for those who love God.