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

What is a special meal you enjoy with your family or friends? What food do you like to eat at that meal?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn about a special meal Jesus shared with his friends. We will hear about how he wanted to help them remember him. We will also talk about what it means to love and stay faithful to our friends.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

1. agreement: (noun) A promise between two or more people.
2. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
3. Day of Unleavened Bread: (noun phrase) The day to get ready for the Passover meal.
4. God’s kingdom: (noun phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
5. hand over: (verb phrase) To give someone or something to another person.
6. Passover meal: (noun phrase) A special dinner eaten by Jewish people to remember how God saved them from Egypt.
7. prepare: (verb) To get something ready.
8. represent: (verb) To be a sign or symbol of something else.
9. Son of Man: (noun phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
10. turn against: (verb phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

1. agreement: (noun) A promise between two or more people.
2. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
3. blood: (noun) The red liquid inside the body.
4. body: (noun) The whole physical part of a person or animal.
5. Day of Unleavened Bread: (noun phrase) The day to get ready for the Passover meal.
6. die: (verb) To stop living.
7. each other: (noun phrase) Two or more people doing the same thing to one another.
8. enemy: (noun) A person who hates you or wants to hurt you.
9. gave thanks: (verb phrase) To say thank you to someone or to God.
10. God’s kingdom: (noun phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
11. hand over: (verb phrase) To give someone or something to another person.
12. jar: (noun) A container used for holding water or oil.
13. Jews: (noun) People who belong to the nation of Israel.
14. lamb: (noun) A young sheep.
15. Passover meal: (noun phrase) A special dinner eaten by Jewish people to remember how God saved them from Egypt.
16. pour out: (verb phrase) To give a lot of something, like love or blood.
17. prepare: (verb) To get something ready.
18. represent: (verb) To be a sign or symbol of something else.
19. Son of Man: (noun phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
20. turn against: (verb phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

1. again: (adverb) One more time.
2. against: (preposition) To be an enemy of someone or to try to hurt them.
3. agreement: (noun) A promise between two or more people.
4. always: (adverb) Every time or at all times.
5. another: (adjective) One more or a different one.
6. apostle: (noun) One of the special followers Jesus chose to send out with a message.
7. begin: (verb) To start something.
8. blood: (noun) The red liquid inside the body.
9. body: (noun) The whole physical part of a person or animal.
10. bread: (noun) A common food made from flour and water.
11. broke off: (verb phrase) To have separated a piece of something from a larger piece.
12. carry: (verb) To hold something and move it from one place to another.
13. city: (noun) A large town with many people and buildings.
14. cup: (noun) A small container used for drinking.
15. Day of Unleavened Bread: (noun phrase) The day to get ready for the Passover meal.
16. die: (verb) To stop living.
17. each other: (noun phrase) Two or more people doing the same thing to one another.
18. enemy: (noun) A person who hates you or wants to hurt you.
19. follower: (noun) A person who learns from and obeys a teacher.
20. full: (adjective) Holding as much as possible.
21. gave thanks: (verb phrase) To say thank you to someone or to God.
22. given: (verb) To have handed something over to another person.
23. God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
24. God’s kingdom: (noun phrase) The place or way where God rules as king.
25. hand: (noun) The part of the body at the end of the arm.
26. hand over: (verb phrase) To give someone or something to another person.
27. happen: (verb) To take place.
28. jar: (noun) A container used for holding water or oil.
29. Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
30. Jews: (noun) People who belong to the nation of Israel.
31. John: (noun) One of the twelve followers of Jesus.
32. kill: (verb) To end the life of a person or an animal.
33. lamb: (noun) A young sheep.
34. left: (verb) To have gone away from a place.
35. Lord: (noun) A name that shows someone has power or authority.
36. meal: (noun) The food eaten at one time.
37. meaning: (noun) The idea that a word or sign represents.
38. much: (adjective) A large amount of something.
39. owner: (noun) A person who has something that belongs to them.
40. Passover: (noun) A special meal and holiday to remember how God saved Israel.
41. Passover meal: (noun phrase) A special dinner eaten by Jewish people to remember how God saved them from Egypt.
42. Peter: (noun) One of the main followers of Jesus.
43. piece: (noun) A part of something larger.
44. plan: (noun) A set of steps to do something.
45. pour out: (verb phrase) To give a lot of something, like love or blood.
46. prepare: (verb) To get something ready.
47. ready: (adjective) Prepared to do something.
48. remember: (verb) To keep something in your mind.
49. represent: (verb) To be a sign or symbol of something else.
50. room: (noun) A space inside a building with walls.
51. show: (verb) To let someone see something.
52. Son of Man: (noun phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
53. supper: (noun) The main meal eaten in the evening.
54. table: (noun) A piece of furniture with a flat top used for eating or working.
55. take: (verb) To get or carry something away.
56. together: (adverb) With each other.
57. turn against: (verb phrase) To stop being a friend and start being an enemy.
58. unleavened bread: (noun phrase) Bread that is made without yeast.
59. until: (preposition) Up to a certain time.
60. upstairs: (adverb) On a higher floor of a house.
61. way: (noun) A path or a method of doing something.
62. wine: (noun) A drink made from the juice of grapes.

Summary of the Passage

This passage takes place during a very important time for the Jews called the Day of Unleavened Bread. Unleavened bread is a special food made without yeast. It is flat and thin because it does not rise. During this time, families eat a special meal called the Passover meal. This meal helped people remember how God saved his people from slavery in Egypt long ago. Jesus wanted to eat this meal with his closest followers, the apostles.

Jesus sent two of his friends, Peter and John, to prepare the meal. To prepare means to get something ready. He told them to follow a man carrying a jar of water. He said they would find a large room upstairs. Peter and John left the group and found everything just as Jesus said. They got the food and the room ready for the special supper.

Later, Jesus sat at the table with the apostles. He gave thanks to God for the food. He took some bread, broke it into pieces, and gave it to them. He said the bread was like his body. Then he took a cup of wine. He said the wine represents his blood. To represent means to be a sign of something. Just as the red wine is poured into a cup, his blood would be poured out of his body to save them when he died. Jesus said this was a new agreement from God. This new agreement is a special promise that God will forgive his people. He asked his friends to eat this meal to remember him.

A sad thing happened during this happy meal. Jesus said that one of the men at the table would turn against him. To turn against someone means to stop being a friend and become an enemy. He said this person would hand over the Son of Man to be killed. This was part of God’s kingdom plan, but it was very hard for Jesus. The apostles were confused and asked who would do such a thing.

This passage shows that Jesus wanted to give his friends a way to remember his love. He shared his meal and God’s promises even though he knew a friend would hurt him.

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.

The Passover Meal
7 The Day of Unleavened Bread came.
This was the day when the Jews always killed the lambs for the Passover.
8 Jesus said to Peter and John,
“Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”
9 They said to him,
“Where do you want us to prepare the meal?”
He said to them,
10 “When you go into the city, you will see a man carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
He will go into a house.
11 Tell the owner of the house,
‘The Teacher asks that you please show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover meal.’
12 Then the owner will show you a large room upstairs that is ready for us.
Prepare the meal there.”
13 So Peter and John left.
Everything happened the way Jesus said.
So they prepared the Passover meal.
The Lord’s Supper
14 The time came for them to eat the Passover meal.
Jesus and the apostles were together at the table.
15 Jesus said to them,
“I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die.
16 I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in God’s kingdom.”
17 Then Jesus took a cup of wine.
He gave thanks to God for it and said,
“Take this cup and give it to everyone here.
18 I will never drink wine again until God’s kingdom comes.”
19 Then he took some bread and thanked God for it.
He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said,
“This bread is my body that I am giving for you.
Eat this to remember me.”
20 In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said,
“This wine represents the new agreement from God to his people.
It will begin when my blood is poured out for you.”
Who Will Turn Against Jesus?
21 Jesus said,
“But here on this table is the hand of the one who will hand me over to my enemies.
22 The Son of Man will do what God has planned.
But it will be very bad for the one who hands over the Son of Man to be killed.”
23 Then the apostles asked each other,
“Which one of us would do that?”

Luke 22:7-23 (ERV)

• Very Easy: Easy-to-Read Version: Luke 22:7-23 (ERV)
• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 22:7-23 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 22:7-23 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 22:7-23 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 22:7-23 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 22:7-23 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. What was the name of the special day when the Jews killed the lambs?
2. Which two apostles did Jesus send to prepare the meal?
3. How were the two friends supposed to find the right house in the city?
4. Where was the room located inside the house?
5. Why did Jesus say he wanted to eat this meal before he died?
6. What did Jesus do first when he took the cup?
7. What did Jesus say the bread represents?
8. What did Jesus say would happen when his blood was poured out?
9. Who did Jesus say was sitting at the table with him?
10. What did the apostles ask each other at the end of the meal?

Application Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus wanted to share a special meal with his friends?
2. How do you feel when you gather with friends for a special dinner?
3. What are some things you can do to remember the love Jesus has for you?
4. How can you show love and kindness to people, even when it is hard?
5. Who is someone in your life that needs to hear a message of hope today?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus loves his followers and wants to be close to them.
2. Jesus is the one who saves his people, just like God saved his people from Egypt long ago.
3. Jesus made a new agreement with his people, and his death was part of God’s good plan to save them.
4. Jesus still showed love and care to his friends, even though he knew one of them would turn against him.
5. God’s kingdom plan cannot be stopped, even when people do bad things.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,
You are the King of all the world.
Please forgive us for the times we are not faithful to you.
Thank you for the body and blood of Jesus that was given for us.
Help us to always remember your love and share it with others.
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 the Passover:

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