Jesus Is Mocked, Questioned, and Sent to Herod: An ESL Bible Study on Luke 22:63-23:12

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Luke 22:63-23:12 Printable Discussion Questions

Luke 22:63-23:12 Printable ERV Passage

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever been treated unfairly or blamed for something you did not do? What happened?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will learn how Jesus was made fun of and hurt by people before he died. We will see how the leaders and rulers treated Jesus unfairly, but he stayed quiet and strong. This lesson reminds us that Jesus understands when people treat us badly.

Vocabulary Lists for the ERV Bible Translation

Key Vocabulary Words (10 words)

accuse: (verb) To say that someone did something wrong or broke a law.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
high council: (noun) A group of important leaders who meet to make decisions or judge people.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
taxes: (noun) Money paid to the government.
witness: (noun) A person who sees something happen and tells others.

Important Words to Know (20 words)

accuse: (verb) To say that someone did something wrong or broke a law.
All-Powerful: (adjective) A name for God because he has all power.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
beat: (verb) To hit someone many times.
believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
enemy: (noun) A person who hates you or wants to hurt you.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
guard: (verb) To watch and protect someone or something.
high council: (phrase) A group of important leaders who meet to make decisions or judge people.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
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.
treat: (verb) To behave toward someone in a certain way.
under: (preposition) Controlled by a power or a law.
witness: (noun) A person who sees something happen and tells others.

Complete Lesson Word Bank

accuse: (verb) To say that someone did something wrong or broke a law.
against: (preposition) In opposition to or in conflict with.
all over: (adverb) In every part of a place.
All-Powerful: (adjective) A name for God because he has all power.
always: (adverb) Every time or at all times.
authority: (noun) The power or right to give orders and make decisions.
away: (adverb) At a distance from a place.
back: (adverb) In the place where someone was before.
badly: (adverb) In a way that is not good.
beat: (verb) To hit someone many times.
became: (verb) To have started to be something.
before: (preposition) In front of someone or something.
began: (verb) To have started something.
beginning: (noun) The first part of something or the time when something starts.
believe: (verb) To think that something is true.
Caesar: (noun) The title of the man who ruled the Roman Empire.
caught: (verb) To have taken hold of something that is moving.
cause: (verb) To make something happen.
change: (verb) To make something different.
clothes: (noun) Things that people wear to cover their bodies.
cover: (verb) To put something over another thing.
dressing: (verb) Putting clothes on.
enemy: (noun) A person who hates you or wants to hurt you.
eye: (noun) The part of the body used for seeing.
find: (verb) To see or get something you were looking for.
Galilee: (noun) A region in the north part of Israel where Jesus lived.
God: (noun) The creator and ruler of everything.
governor: (noun) A leader of a state or region.
group: (noun) A number of people or things that are together.
guard: (verb) To watch and protect someone or something.
heard: (verb) To have received sound with your ears.
Herod: (noun) A king who ruled in Israel during the time of Jesus.
high council: (phrase) A group of important leaders who meet to make decisions or judge people.
hit: (verb) To touch someone or something with force.
hope: (verb) To want something to happen and expect that it will.
insult: (noun) A statement or action that is very rude or shows no respect to someone.
Jerusalem: (noun) The most important city in Israel where the Temple was.
Jesus: (noun) The Son of God and the Savior of the world!
Jewish: (adjective) Relating to the people, religion, or culture of the Jews.
Jews: (noun) People who belong to the nation of Israel.
Judea: (noun) The region in the south part of Israel.
kept on: (phrase) To continue doing something without stopping.
kind: (noun) A type of thing.
king: (noun) A man who rules a country.
laugh: (verb) To make a sound that shows you are happy or think something is funny.
leader: (noun) A person who is in charge of a group.
led: (verb) To have shown someone the way to go.
long: (adverb) For a great amount of time.
made fun of: (phrase) To laugh at someone or say mean things to make them look silly.
meet: (verb) To come together with someone.
Messiah: (noun) The “Chosen One” that God promised to send to save his people.
miracle: (noun) An amazing act that only God can do.
morning: (noun) The early part of the day.
need: (verb) To require something because it is important.
older: (adjective) Having lived for more time.
past: (noun) The time that has already happened.
pay: (verb) To give money for something.
Pilate: (noun) The Roman leader who decided that Jesus should die.
powerful: (adjective) Having a lot of strength or power.
priest: (noun) A man who did special work for God in the Temple.
prophet: (noun) A person who speaks messages from God.
right: 1. (adjective) Something that is correct or good. 2. (noun) The side of the body that is not the left.
send: (verb) To cause someone or something to go to a place.
sent: (verb) To have caused someone to go to a place.
should: (verb) A word used to say what is the right thing to do.
shout: (verb) To speak or yell very loudly.
side: (noun) The part of something that is not the top, bottom, front, or back.
sit: (verb) To rest your body on a chair or the ground.
soldier: (noun) A person who is in an army.
Son of God: (phrase) A special name for Jesus that shows he is the son of God the Father.
Son of Man: (phrase) A special name Jesus used for himself to show he is the savior sent by God.
stand: (verb) To be on your feet in an upright way.
stood up: (phrase) To move the body from sitting or lying down to a standing position.
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.
together: (adverb) With each other.
treat: (verb) To behave toward someone in a certain way.
trouble: (noun) A problem or a difficult situation.
try: (verb) To make an effort to do something.
under: (preposition) Controlled by a power or a law.
wear: (verb) To have clothes on your body.
whole: (adjective) All of something.
witness: (noun) A person who sees something happen and tells others.
wrong: (adjective) Not right or not true.

Summary of the Passage

This passage happens after Jesus was arrested. Some soldiers were guarding him. They treated him badly. They made fun of him and beat him. They covered his eyes and told him to be a prophet. A prophet is a person who speaks messages from God. They asked him to guess who was hitting him and shouted many insults at him. An insult is a mean word used to hurt someone.

The next morning, the leaders of the people met together. This group was called the high council. They asked Jesus if he was the Messiah. The Messiah is the Savior God promised to send. Jesus told them they would not believe him. They asked if he was the Son of God. Jesus said, “You are right in saying that I am.” The leaders said they did not need any more witnesses. A witness is a person who tells what they saw or heard.

Then, the group took Jesus to a governor named Pilate. A governor is a ruler. They accused Jesus of doing wrong things. They said he told people not to pay taxes to Caesar. Caesar was the name of the most powerful king of the Roman Empire. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus said, “Yes, what you say is true.” Pilate told the leaders that he found nothing wrong with Jesus.

The leaders kept shouting that Jesus was causing trouble. When Pilate heard Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to another ruler named Herod. Herod was happy to see Jesus because he wanted to see a miracle. A miracle is an amazing act that only God can do. He asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus stayed quiet. Herod and his soldiers made fun of him. They put a beautiful robe on him to act like he was a fake king. Then they sent him back to Pilate.

This passage teaches us that Jesus was treated very unfairly. People lied about him and hurt him. Jesus stayed calm and trusted God. He understands our pain when people are mean to us.

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 Guards Treat Jesus Badly
63 The men guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.
64 They covered his eyes so that he could not see them.
Then they hit him and said,
“Be a prophet and tell us who hit you!”
65 And they shouted all kinds of insults at him.
Jesus Before the Jewish Leaders
66 The next morning, the older leaders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together.
They led Jesus away to their high council.
67 They said, “If you are the Messiah, then tell us that you are.”
Jesus said to them,
“If I tell you I am the Messiah, you will not believe me.
68 And if I ask you, you will not answer.
69 But beginning now, the Son of Man will sit at the right side of God All-Powerful.”
70 They all said,
“Then are you the Son of God?”
Jesus said to them,
“You are right in saying that I am.”
71 They said,
“Why do we need witnesses now?
We all heard what he said!”
Governor Pilate Questions Jesus
1 Then the whole group stood up and led Jesus away to Pilate.
2 They began to accuse Jesus and said to Pilate,
“We caught this man trying to change the thinking of our people.
He says we should not pay taxes to Caesar.
He calls himself the Messiah, a king.”
3 Pilate asked Jesus,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered,
“Yes, what you say is true.”
4 Pilate said to the leading priests and the people,
“I find nothing wrong with this man.”
5 But they kept on saying,
“His teaching is causing trouble all over Judea.
He began in Galilee, and now he is here!”
Pilate Sends Jesus to Herod
6 Pilate heard this and asked if Jesus was from Galilee.
7 He learned that Jesus was under Herod’s authority.
Herod was in Jerusalem at that time, so Pilate sent Jesus to him.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very happy.
He had heard all about him and had wanted to meet him for a long time.
Herod wanted to see a miracle, so he was hoping that Jesus would do one.
9 He asked him many questions, but Jesus said nothing.
10 The leading priests and teachers of the law were standing there shouting things against Jesus.
11 Then Herod and his soldiers laughed at him.
They made fun of him by dressing him in clothes like kings wear.
Then Herod sent him back to Pilate.
12 In the past Pilate and Herod had always been enemies.
But on that day they became friends.
Luke 22:63-23:12 (ERV)