Israel's Formal Rejection of the King, Part 1 (Matthew 21:18–22:14)

It’s wise to learn from others’ errors. A child, seeing their sibling punished, can learn obedience. A student, observing a peer caught cheating, can learn integrity. An athlete, watching a teammate fail, can learn of strategy. Whether in business, dating, gaming, or home renovations, it’s wise to learn from others’ errors (see, for example, 1 Cor 10:1–11; 1 Tim 5:20). That that’s what we re going to do this morning. As we draw nearer to Matthew’s account of Jesus’s death, the abject failures of Israel become increasingly obvious and official. While the King has been formally presented to his subjects (20:29–21:17), he is now formally rejected by his subjects (21:18–22:46). And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are going to learn from their mistake, avoid the consequences that come with such a misstep and, instead, be propelled forward in our personal and corporate pursuits of God-pleasing and God-glorifying maturity.