Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, October 25, 2025
Friday morning of this week I pulled into a gas station to fuel up. On the asphalt beside the pump I noticed this penny, so I bent down and picked it up. Normally what I do in this situation is just give the penny to the person behind the counter, or put it in the little small-change tray some places have.
Instead, I held it in my hand as I pre-paid for the gas, then carried it out to the pump again. I wanted to think this over a bit. Obviously there was no way to find the coin’s original owner. I could have pocketed it, and though it would add only a tiny amount to my net worth, I would be doing nothing illegal. Finders keepers.
But my mind rebelled at this thought. No, I said to myself, this penny is not mine. I didn’t inherit it, nor earn it, nor was I gifted with it. So when I went back in to get change for my gas, I put it in their change-tray. And I felt satisfied. Did I feel a bit of pride, for my honesty? Not sure. Maybe.
Jesus once discussed a group of people He knew who were scrupulously careful to be stewards of even small amounts. They were the scribes and Pharisees, students and teachers of God’s law. They were proud of their reputation.
The only problem was that when it came to more important issues, they were hypocrites. Jesus knew it, and He called them out on it:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. (Matthew 23:23 NKJV)
Notice how Jesus is careful to insist that we not switch our attention totally to the major areas and grow careless with the seemingly “small stuff.” “Do both,” He says.
These powerful religious influencers had developed huge blind spots when it came to law-keeping. So for a good Bible-verse review about how to avoid toppling into the hypocrisy trap, click the link just below.