The Widow’s Offering
21:1 Jesus1 looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.2 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers3 and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Watch Yourselves
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.
Footnotes
[1] 21:1
Greek He
[2] 21:2Greek two lepta; a lepton was a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)
[3] 21:16Or parents and brothers and sisters (ESV)
Category: Scripture
Categories
Saturday Study
Saturday Study
Luke 16-20 (4-27-19)
Please grab your Bible and let’s dig into Luke 19.
This week we are reading about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem which is just two weeks after we celebrated Palm Sunday in our annual calendar. While Herod was afraid of a King who would rise up to take over at the time of Jesus’ birth, by the time Jesus was in His thirties and doing ministry, many had lost sight of His road to being king or still saw it only through a temporary lens. Maybe this is something we still struggle with today.
In Luke’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we see that Jesus had reserved this event to make it known that He was the Messiah—the King! Jesus had not sought to be openly known as the Messiah until then. He did not want the waters to be stirred too early. Looking back now, we can see why. What the authorities did with Christ when they were convinced that He was a threat was literally deadly!
Read Luke 19:28-38.
The words the people shouted were not just random words. The people were singing and chanting the words of a song—one that generations of Jews had sung for almost 1,000 years. It was a song that David had written as a prayer for the people’s salvation—a prayer of hope and deliverance! It’s found in Psalm 118:25-27.
Even though they were singing the songs of their ancestors, and even with more than a thousand years of history and teaching, the people in that moment were looking for the wrong kind of savior. We’ll get back to this.
It’s important that we understand the formal entry of a king into a city in that day. During Jesus’ day, Pilate ruled over Jerusalem as a Roman governor. Pilate’s superior would have been Caesar. In those days, there were a few times each year that all Jewish people were supposed to go to Jerusalem to celebrate specific holidays together. The Romans were in charge and ruled over Jerusalem, but during these celebrations, the Jews would have certainly outnumbered the Romans who were present in the city.
Pilate, the Roman governor, would have probably felt pretty wary about these festivals. It would have been a stressful time in government and there was also the ever-present threat that if the Jews decided to all work together, they might have been able to overtake him. Now, Pilate lived in a mansion in Caesarea, but during these festivals, and specifically this week known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread or Passover, Pilate would march into Jerusalem to keep things in order during the festival.
His procession was designed to be authoritative and to show his power. It was designed to scare the people so that they would never even dream of uprising against Rome.
- The procession began with the Roman emblem, which was an eagle.
- Behind the eagle in the procession came the Roman soldiers carrying etchings of the Caesars with all kinds of things reminding the people of all the power they had and all the battles they had won. The etchings were all about power, strength, and domination.
- The soldiers marched with metal shields, which made a loud sound and brought about fear and terror to the people watching.
- Pilate entered next on a horse—a huge stallion—again, a symbol of power, strength, and military conquest.
Pilate entered Jerusalem on a horse from the west.
Now, Luke 19 describes another event, which happened the same week. Jesus went to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. While looking from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem could be seen to the west just past the Kidron Valley. They had brought the donkey to Him and people had spread their cloaks on the road as He went past them chanting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” This word “King” might not have been a good choice to use in light of Pilate, who had just come in, himself.
Read again Luke 19:39-44.
Let’s set the scene. There were a bunch of stones and graves on the Mount of Olives, because the Jews believed that the Messiah would raise from the dead all the good Jews who had died. From there they believed He would lead them all into Jerusalem where there would be peace and prosperity. Therefore, they all wanted to be buried near Jerusalem.
The Pharisees told them to be quiet, but Jesus said basically, “I’m the Messiah who will raise these people from the dead!” The Pharisees certainly knew what Jesus was talking about.
What about the fact that Jesus didn’t walk into the city, but rode a donkey? In the Old Testament, we read what Zechariah had said years ago in Zechariah 9:9:
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
Righteous and having salvation,
Gentle and riding on a donkey,
On a colt, the foal of a donkey.
By riding in on a donkey Jesus is saying, “Hey, I’m the One you’ve been waiting for.”
Read again Luke 19:41-44.
Jesus is talking about the demise of the city. Jerusalem would fall about 70 years later. This is the result of the people all being focused on the wrong kingdom victory. Jesus is sad because many will miss the truth He brings—the peace He brings.
Now check this out:
- Pilate came from the west proclaiming his war abilities.
- Jesus came from the east, so He could proclaim peace.
- Jesus’ kingdom is totally different from the kingdom of Rome. His kingdom is about peace, not war. It’s about life, not oppression.
Jesus’ parade is for the humble who enjoy Him rather than the parade for Pilate which is for the proud who enjoy themselves.
Now, kings typically rode on horses or in chariots with the power proclamation of their officials, tools of war and weaponry, and many times were followed by the people they had conquered. But not Jesus. Jesus’ entry was all about peace. It was about a power that was bigger than man’s weapons and trophies. The real battle was about to go down, but it would be fought by Him on behalf of us. His blood would pour out—not ours.
Peace is what Jesus brings to those who will trust in Him. But too often we long for a savior that only brings a momentary peace
instead of looking for something deeper—something life changing—something eternal, a lasting peace. The people longed for Jesus to come into Jerusalem and be crowned into power and change the political and social scenery.
They had lost their passion for the restored relationship that the Messiah would be for them, spiritually. They were looking for a king to change things. But the change they desired was about monetary fruit, political peace, and safe borders. It was all about temporary stuff. Even while many were missing the point of who Jesus was and would be, God was not sitting in heaven frustrated. God was carrying out a plan of deliverance and of hope—a plan that would set us free.
When the people stood that day on the side of the road, they shouted “The Son of David is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king! He is here!” And when they shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!” it meant, “Let all the angels in heaven join the song of praise. Salvation! Salvation! Let the highest heaven sing the song of hope and salvation!” The kind of savior they thought they were shouting to, is often the kind of savior we cry out to.
They were so oppressed by abusive taxation and hierarchical rule that they believed Jesus was showing up to take over the city, claim the throne, and change the political, economic, and social landscape. But Jesus didn’t come to be the popular leader of the day who would change the political, economic, and social landscape—the kind of leader who would ride His fame to the top. Jesus was an altogether different leader. Jesus was coming not to bring temporary solutions or patches of policy remix. He was coming to bring life to what was dead.
He was coming to find what was totally and utterly lost in the darkness. And instead of climbing up on the throne, He let Himself be caught, falsely accused, beaten, lied about, and condemned to death. So much so that many of those who a week earlier had screamed, “Hosanna!” with palm branches hoping for a temporary fix to their problems, now yelled, “Crucify Him!” when they saw that He wouldn’t give them what they wanted right then.
Here is the thing. Don’t you and I do this all the time? We go to God or to church hoping for God to simply make what we already have better, to make what once worked the way we liked it work again, or give us a little more of what we have.
And when He doesn’t deliver the way we want, we bail on Him, too. Some leave the church or the club. Some stay but are not truly surrendered to Him, trusting in Him, enjoying Him. We are guilty of crying out for a prosperity gospel. A fix-my-circumstances-for-me-now-and-then-I-will-praise-you kind of leader.
Thank God for Jesus Christ. Thank God that we have a God that loves us despite our selfish ways and worldly idol worship. We have a God who rode on the back of a lowly donkey into the city that long-ago Palm Sunday knowing that He was bringing to His enemies a salvation that was far beyond politics, the economy, and social stability. He was saving us from eternal death.
So, when we sing, “Hosanna!” now, in these days after Jesus’ death and resurrection which has saved us forever from our deserved punishment, we must see and sing, “Salvation has come! Salvation has come!”
The Son of David has come. He has saved us from guilt and fear and hopelessness. Salvation! Salvation belongs to our God and to the Son! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! The King has come!
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Joshua Kirstine
Disciples Church
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
20:1 One day, as Jesus1 was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant2 to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?3
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,4 but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.5 Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.
Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man6 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”
34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons7 of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
41 But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
Beware of the Scribes
45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Footnotes
[1] 20:1
Greek he
[2] 20:10Or bondservant; also verse 11
[3] 20:17Greek the head of the corner
[4] 20:21Greek and do not receive a face
[5] 20:24A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer
[6] 20:28Greek his brother
[7] 20:36Greek huioi; see Preface (ESV)
Jesus and Zacchaeus
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants,1 he gave them ten minas,2 and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!3 Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
The Triumphal Entry
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
Footnotes
[1] 19:13
Or bondservants; also verse 15
[2] 19:13A mina was about three months’ wages for a laborer
[3] 19:17Or bondservant; also verse 22 (ESV)
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed1 thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Let the Children Come to Me
15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
The Rich Ruler
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers2 or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
(ESV)