A wee brown purse

Last week I heard the inspiring story of Glen James. This is how the Sky News web site reported the story:

“Boston man Glen James, 54, spoke to police after he found the backpack containing $2,400 (£1,500) in cash and nearly $40,000 (£25,000) in traveller's cheques at the South Bay Mall.

The man who lost the backpack told workers at a nearby store and they called police, who later returned the backpack to him.

Virginia resident Ethan Whittington read media accounts of Mr James' honesty and started a fund for him on a crowd-funding website.

The fund has since raised more than $100,000, including $182 (£114) of pocket money saved up by two young children.

The Boston Police Department publicly thanked Mr James, saying his actions were "a remarkable tribute to him and his honesty".

Mr James said in a statement: "Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a penny of the money I found.
"I am extremely religious. God has always very well looked after me." “

http://news.sky.com/story/1144158/boston-honest-homeless-man-fund-tops-100k

The lectionary Gospel reading for today is Luke 16: 1 – 13. It is a slightly odd story in some respects. It is a parable where Jesus sets out to show how money should be used. It is a parable that contains the famous saying of Jesus:

13 ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’

But equally the parable itself (the story Jesus told to make his point if you prefer) seems to have a dishonest man being commended by his employer for his dishonesty! (If you want to read the story but don’t have access to a Bible go to Biblegateway.com) It is a perplexing story and I’ve looked at several commentaries on the Bible written by learned people and they can’t seem to make head nor tail of it either.

That said, the Bible passage does contain these words of Jesus:

10 ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

The point Jesus is making is that if we are honest and trustworthy with even little things (let alone big things) that is how Jesus would want us to live our lives. And he promises us “true riches” which Christians take to mean eternal life in heaven.

I was really taken by Glen James’ statement: "I am extremely religious. God has always very well looked after me."

Jesus could have been speaking of Mr. James. And it seems that for now Mr. James may have earthly reward as well as true riches to come.

When I was about 7 or 8 we were on holiday in Scotland. We visited the same part of Scotland (Oban) 3 years running and I have the most vivid memories of those holidays. One day we went to a small town called Inverary. There is a large castle there, home of the Duke of Argyll – though we didn’t go round it so I’m not really sure why we were in Inverary!

As we walked along the street I found a small brown purse. I picked it up and showed it to my mum. I was questioned about how I had come by this purse and after she was satisfied I had genuinely found it she opened it. Inside it was a Scottish £1 note.

I don’t recall exactly what I thought at this point but I imagine I must have thought I’d come in to extra pocket money. But my hopes were dashed for my mum gave me a talk about honesty. And how the small boy or girl who had lost this purse would be upset. How would I feel etc etc etc. So feeling suitably virtuous we marched off to the police station where the biggest policeman I’d ever seen in my life duly recorded my find.

“Now laddie. Well done for bringing this in. If no one claims this wee brown purse within six weeks, it’s yours” he said.

I can remember coming home from school six weeks later and my mum giving me a letter from the Argyll constabulary saying I was now the owner of the purse and its contents.

(My mum still has the purse containing the Scottish £1 note in it. And yes she did give me a UK £1 instead.)