'Tips for Jesus' Bring Benevolence to Manhattan

The “Tips for Jesus” patron has brought his benevolence to Manhattan after giving away thousands of dollars across the country in a mass tipping spree, the New York Post reports.

The generous giver—who many believe to be former PayPal Vice President Jack Selby—gave over $11,000 in tips this past weekend in New York City. Veiled under the pseudonym “Tips for Jesus,” the big tipper wrote “God bless!” across the bottom of several receipts, with @tipsforjesus ink stamped as well—the name of the anonymous Instagram account hosting photos of happy servers and their generous gifts. The account’s tagline? “Doing the Lord’s work, on tip at a time.”

According to Christianity Today’s Gleanings, the estimated total amount of tips has been more than $54,000.

All of this benevolent tipping in Jesus’ name stems from several reported cases of poor tipping from Christians. A February Hermeneutics article recalls the story of a pastor who left a rude note for her waitress—“I give God 10 percent why do you get 18?” Gleanings notes a previous study suggesting Jews and non-religious people tip more and more often than Christians.

But “Tips for Jesus” is trying to change the country’s perception of Christians. When a manager at one of the Manhattan restaurants questioned the tipper, asking him, “Why tip so much?’ He replied, “Just because… We tip a hundred times the bill.”