Staff Corner – Greg Spires
- Teaching Pastor
Obsolete
A law school student was hired by a law firm to sift through electronic information manually to prepare case files for trial. Before cases went to trial, data files were acquired through clients as well as the discovery process. It was tedious work for the employee. He had to open and read each document and identify if there was any information pertinent to the case.
On one occasion, the volume of records that needed to be reviewed seemed insurmountable. The employee suggested to his employer they utilize some emerging technologies to make the process more efficient and accurate. The document review process could be automated using custom software. As a result, better information could be acquired much quicker.
The employee’s idea was rejected. He kept pushing the idea, even offering to underwrite the cost of developing the software himself and offer his services as a contractor to the firm and save the firm money.
The firm fired him.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out why he was fired. The firm charged clients hourly fees to review electronic documents. The last thing the firm wanted was for the process to be faster since they billed by the hour. Rather than adopt a more efficient process, the firm fired the employee and gave his job to another law school student who would do the work without making a fuss.
Undeterred, the former employee dropped out of law school and started his own company. He had no funds, so he started the company by maxing out his credit cards. He offered electronic document review services to law firms using the software he developed.
As you would expect, his company was very successful. His company was soon generating income that exceeded the value of his former firm several times over.
His former employer didn’t like the idea of new technology because they didn’t think it served their financial interests. Their short-sightedness was simply an effort to preserve the status quo. They didn’t want things disrupted. The way things worked served their interests.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day responded to Him the way that firm responded to their employee. The leaders didn’t like the idea that Jesus could forgive sins. They didn’t like the idea that He could ignore their man-made rules. They didn’t like that Jesus operated with authority that came from somewhere other than the religious establishment of the day.
Here’s Jesus’ observation of these leaders in Matthew 21:42, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
Jesus issued this as a warning to these religious leaders. They rejected Him because they didn’t want their system of religious obligation, power and prestige disrupted. What they didn’t understand is that Jesus is the cornerstone of the building that is God’s Kingdom. The insignificant power structures of the religious elite would soon be obsolete, and God’s Kingdom will be all that matters. But the leaders’ dedication to maintaining their position blinded them to the work of God through Jesus.
The message of Jesus is simple: His kingdom will be given to all who find their life and righteousness through faith in Him alone. He paid to provide for our forgiveness by dying on the cross. He also made the way for us to have hope in eternal life in Him by raising from the dead.
What are you holding on to instead of Jesus? Is it something that will soon be obsolete? Nothing lasts forever. So, whatever we hold on to instead of Jesus will one day have no value. There is no better day than today to put your hope in Jesus. He gives forgiveness and life to everyone who trusts Him.
I look forward to being with you this Sunday as we celebrate the work of God in Jesus Christ together! This Sunday, we will be seeking God through His Word in Matthew 21:33-46.
See you Sunday,
Greg
