A Trick Question About Taxes: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 20:19-26

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 20:19-26 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 20:19-26 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

What is something you have paid for recently? How did you feel about paying for it?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about a time when some people tried to trick Jesus with a hard question. We will see how Jesus gave a wise answer that taught them about money and about God.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

arrest: (verb) When the police or soldiers take a person away for breaking a law.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
hand over: (phrase) To give control of a person or a thing to someone in power, like a judge or an officer.
pretend: (verb) To act like something is true when it is not.
silver coin: (phrase) A small piece of round metal used as money.
sincere: (adjective) Being honest and meaning what you say.
taxes: (noun) Money paid to the government.
trick: (verb) To make someone believe something that is not true.
wise: (adjective) Having wisdom and making good choices.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
arrest: (verb) When the police or soldiers take a person away for breaking a law.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
belong: (verb) To be the property of someone.
Caesar: (noun) The title of the man who ruled the Roman Empire.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
hand over: (phrase) To give control of a person or a thing to someone in power, like a judge or an officer.
Jewish: (adjective) Relating to the people, religion, or culture of the Jews.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
matter: (verb) To be important.
picture: (noun) A drawing or a photo of something.
pretend: (verb) To act like something is true when it is not.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
silver coin: (phrase) A small piece of round metal used as money.
sincere: (adjective) Being honest and meaning what you say.
taxes: (noun) Money paid to the government.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.
trick: (verb) To make someone believe something that is not true.
truth: (noun) The things that are real and true.
wise: (adjective) Having wisdom and making good choices.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

able: (adjective) Having the power or skill to do something.
afraid: (adjective) Feeling fear or being scared.
against: (preposition) To be an enemy of someone or to try to hurt them.
always: (adverb) Every time or at all times.
amazed: (adjective) To be very surprised by something.
arrest: (verb) When the police or soldiers take a person away for breaking a law.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
belong: (verb) To be the property of someone.
Caesar: (noun) The title of the man who ruled the Roman Empire.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
found: (verb) To have seen something you were looking for.
give: (verb) To hand something over to another person.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
hand over: (phrase) To give control of a person or a thing to someone in power, like a judge or an officer.
heard: (verb) To have received sound with your ears.
in front of: (phrase) To be ahead of something or someone so you can see them.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
Jewish: (adjective) Relating to the people, religion, or culture of the Jews.
know: (verb) To have information about something in your mind.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
listen: (verb) To pay attention to a sound with your ears.
matter: (verb) To be important.
pay: (verb) To give money for something.
picture: (noun) A drawing or a photo of something.
pretend: (verb) To act like something is true when it is not.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
right: (adjective) Something that is correct or good.
same: (adjective) Not different.
sent: (verb) To have caused someone to go to a place.
show: (verb) To let someone see something.
silver coin: (phrase) A small piece of round metal used as money.
sincere: (adjective) Being honest and meaning what you say.
taxes: (noun) Money paid to the government.
teacher of the law: (phrase) A person who is an expert in the religious rules given to the Jewish people by God.
tell: (verb) To give information to someone by speaking.
trick: (verb) To make someone believe something that is not true.
truth: (noun) The things that are real and true.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
use: (verb) To do something with a tool or an object.
wait: (verb) To stay in a place until something happens.
way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
wise: (adjective) Having wisdom and making good choices.
wrong: (adjective) Not right or not true.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells a story about Jesus and some important men called teachers of the Law and leading priests. These men did not like what Jesus was teaching. They were afraid of the people, so they did not arrest him right away. Instead, they made a plan to trick Jesus with a hard question. They wanted to hand him over to the governor. The governor was the leader who had the authority to put people in prison.

The leaders sent some men to pretend they were being sincere. To pretend means to act like something is true when it is not. To be sincere means to be honest and mean what you say. These men were not actually sincere because they were trying to cause trouble for Jesus. They asked him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. Caesar was the king of the Roman Empire. This was a trick. If Jesus said “no,” the governor would arrest him. If he said “yes,” many Jewish people would be angry because they did not like Rome.

Jesus was very wise. He knew they were trying to trick him. He asked them to show him a silver coin. The silver coin had the picture and name of Caesar on it. Jesus told them to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Then he said to give to God what belongs to God.

The men were amazed by his smart answer. They could not find anything wrong with what he said. They stayed quiet because they were not able to catch him in a trick.

This passage teaches us that Jesus is very wise. He knows what is in our hearts. It teaches us to obey the laws of our land. However, we must always honor God as our most important leader!

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.

19 When the teachers of the law and the leading priests heard this story, they knew it was about them.
So they wanted to arrest Jesus right then, but they were afraid of what the people would do.
The Jewish Leaders Try to Trick Jesus
20 So the Jewish leaders waited for the right time to get Jesus.
They sent some men to him, who pretended to be sincere.
They wanted to find something wrong with what Jesus said.
(If they found something wrong, then they could hand him over to the governor, who had the authority to arrest him.)
21 So the men said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is true.
It doesn’t matter who is listening—you teach the same to all people.
You always teach the truth about God’s way.
22 Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But Jesus knew that these men were trying to trick him.
He said to them,
24 “Show me a silver coin.
Whose name and picture are on it?”
They said,
“Caesar’s.”
25 He said to them,
“Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
26 The men were amazed at his wise answer.
They could say nothing.
They were not able to trick Jesus there in front of the people.
He said nothing they could use against him.
Luke 20:19-26 (ERV)

Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 20:19-26 (ERV)
Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 20:19-26 (NIRV)
Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 20:19-26 (GNT)
Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 20:19-26 (NLT)
Hard: New International Version: Luke 20:19-26 (NIV)
Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 20:19-26 (ESV)

Luke 20:19-26 Printable ERV Passage

Comprehension Questions

Who tried to arrest Jesus?
Why did they not arrest him right away?
What did the men do to try and trick Jesus?
What question did they ask Jesus?
Why was this a hard question to answer?
What did Jesus ask them to show him?
Whose face and name was on the coin?
What did Jesus say people should do with money that belongs to the Emperor?
What did Jesus say people should give to God?
How did the people feel about Jesus’ answer?

Application Questions

Why do you think people sometimes try to trick others?
How do you feel when someone tricks you?
What can we learn from the way Jesus answered the hard question?
What is something we can give to God in our lives today?

Theological Insights

God sees what is in our hearts, even when we try to hide it.
Jesus is wise and always knows the right thing to say.
We should respect the rules of our country, but we must always honor God first.
Everything we have belongs to God, and we should give our hearts and lives to him.