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

When was a time someone did something kind for you? Did you remember to say thank you?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about ten sick men who asked Jesus for help. We will see how Jesus healed them and how only one man came back to say thank you. We will talk about how important it is to be thankful to God.

Vocabulary List for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

1. believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
2. bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
3. give praise: (phrase) To say good things about God or a person to show how great they are.
4. heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
5. leprosy: (noun) A serious skin disease that was very scary in Bible times.
6. loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
7. priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
8. Samaritan: (noun) A person from the region of Samaria.
9. shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
10. thankful: (adjective) Feeling glad for what you have been given.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

1. believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
2. bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
3. came back: (phrase) To have returned to a place.
4. close: (adjective) Near to someone or something.
5. feet: (noun) The parts of the body at the end of the legs that a person stands on.
6. Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
7. give praise: (phrase) To say good things about God or a person to show how great they are.
8. heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
9. Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
10. leprosy: (noun) A serious skin disease that was very scary in Bible times.
11. loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
12. master: (noun) A person or thing who has power over others or a great teacher.
13. met: (verb) To have come together with someone.
14. priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
15. Samaria: (noun) A region between Judea and Galilee.
16. Samaritan: (noun) A person from the region of Samaria.
17. shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
18. stand up: (phrase) To move your body from sitting or lying down to being on your feet.
19. thankful: (adjective) Feeling glad for what you have been given.
20. travel: (verb) To go from one place to another.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

1. all: (adjective) Every part of a group or thing.
2. because: (conjunction) For the reason that.
3. believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
4. bowed down: (phrase) To bend the body forward and low to show respect or worship.
5. came back: (phrase) To have returned to a place.
6. can: (verb) To be able to do something.
7. close: (adjective) Near to someone or something.
8. come: (verb) To move toward a person or a place.
9. even: (adverb) Used to show that something is surprising.
10. feet: (noun) The parts of the body at the end of the legs that a person stands on.
11. Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
12. give praise: (phrase) To say good things about God or a person to show how great they are.
13. God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
14. heal: (verb) To make a sick or hurt person well again.
15. help: (verb) To do something useful for someone.
16. Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
17. Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
18. leprosy: (noun) A serious skin disease that was very scary in Bible times.
19. loudly: (adverb) Doing something with a lot of noise.
20. master: (noun) A person or thing who has power over others or a great teacher.
21. met: (verb) To have come together with someone.
22. only: (adjective) Just one and no more.
23. other: (adjective) Different from the one already mentioned.
24. please: (adverb) A polite word used when asking for something.
25. priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
26. Samaria: (noun) A region between Judea and Galilee.
27. Samaritan: (noun) A person from the region of Samaria.
28. saw: (verb) To have looked at something with your eyes.
29. shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
30. show: (verb) To let someone see something.
31. small: (adjective) Not big.
32. stand up: (phrase) To move your body from sitting or lying down to being on your feet.
33. thank: (verb) To tell someone you are happy for what they did.
34. thankful: (adjective) Feeling glad for what you have been given.
35. town: (noun) A place where many people live that is smaller than a city.
36. travel: (verb) To go from one place to another.
37. went: (verb) To have moved to another place.
38. while: (conjunction) During the time that something is happening.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells the story of Jesus and ten men who were very sick. They had a skin disease called leprosy. In those days, leprosy was a very scary sickness. People with this disease were called “unclean.” They had to stay away from their families and could not go to the Temple to worship God. The ten men saw Jesus coming. They did not come close to him. Instead, they stood far away and shouted to him. They stayed far away because the law said they could not touch healthy people. They called him “Master” and asked him to help them.

Jesus saw them and told them to go show themselves to the priests. A priest was a man who did special work for God. In those days, the law said only a priest could check a sick person and say they were healthy and clean again. While the men were walking to the priests, they were healed. Their skin became clean, and the sickness was gone!

One man saw that he was healed and came back to Jesus. He was a Samaritan. A Samaritan was a person from a region that most Jewish people did not like. This man shouted and gave praise to God loudly. He bowed down at Jesus’ feet to say thank you.

Jesus asked where the other nine men were. Ten men were healed, but only one came back to give praise to God. Jesus told the man to stand up. He said the man was well because he believed.

This story of the ten lepers teaches us that Jesus has the power to heal. It also teaches us how important it is to be thankful to God for his kindness.

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.

Be Thankful
11 Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem.
He went from Galilee to Samaria.
12 He came into a small town, and ten men met him there.
They did not come close to him, because they all had leprosy.
13 But the men shouted,
“Jesus! Master! Please help us!”
14 When Jesus saw the men, he said,
“Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed.
15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus.
He praised God loudly.
16 He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.
(He was a Samaritan.)
17 Jesus said,
“Ten men were healed; where are the other nine?
18 This man is not even one of our people.
Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?”
19 Then Jesus said to the man,
“Stand up! You can go.
You were healed because you believed.”

Luke 17:11-19 (ERV)

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 17:11-19 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 17:11-19 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 17:11-19 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 17:11-19 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Where was Jesus going?
2. Who met Jesus as he went into the village?
3. What disease did the ten men have?
4. What did the men shout to Jesus?
5. What did Jesus tell the men to do?
6. What happened to the men while they were on the way?
7. How many men came back to thank Jesus?
8. What did the man do when he came back?
9. What was special about the man who came back?
10. What did Jesus say made the man well?

Application Questions

1. Why do you think only one man came back to thank Jesus?
2. How do you feel when someone forgets to say thank you to you?
3. Why is it important to thank God for the good things in our lives?
4. How can we remember to show thankfulness every day?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus cares for people who are hurting and asks us to do the same.
2. Faith in Jesus brings healing and hope.
3. God loves people from every place, no matter where they are from.
4. It pleases God when we remember to thank him for his kindness.
5. Even small faith can lead to big blessings from God.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for loving us and helping us when we are hurting. Help us to remember to say thank you for all the good things you give us. 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 thankfulness:

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