Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Small Things Matter To God

The world can seem a small place when faced with how insignificant a person can be compared to the eight billion souls that inhabit the planet. One person, one life, is limited in time and sphere by the small footprints left in the sands of time. The wind comes and blows the prints away in a short time. When a man dies, his life is represented by a small dash between two dates. Fame is fleeting. A man makes a name for himself and is remembered for a few generations. In time, his name is worn away from the marble monuments, and dusty history books mention his great achievement as a passing note.

Everyone seeks some measure of recognition. Each child born into the world needs the security of knowing someone cares for them. God created man, realizing he could not be alone. There is an emptiness if someone has no one to care for them. The world can be a cruel place where lost souls wander without a friend. There is a need for recognition, identification, and someone to care. For many, that communion never comes. They live lonely, unfilled, and sad lives. In a world of so many people, who would care about the one?

Jesus teaches that man’s fundamental need is met in a relationship with His Father. Untold billions of people have lived and died since the beginning of time. Everyone has been spread throughout the world in different languages, cultures, races, and personalities, with a common need: to be recognized. Jesus comforts the hearts of the heavy-laden by reminding them that, in a world filled with billions of souls, God knows and cares for each one individually. 

A sparrow is a small bird suitable for eating. Sold in the markets, ready to eat, plucked and trussed in rows of about a dozen on slender wooden skewers, and cooked and eaten like kabobs. The lesson Jesus is teaching is that as small and insignificant as the small birds were, nothing happens to them that God is unaware of. If a small bird falls to the ground, God knows it. God has His eyes upon all the small birds in the whole world. The omniscience of God declares His glory to know if a sparrow falls on one side of the earth or the other side. Jesus drives the point home, suggesting His Father knows the exact number of hairs on the head of all eight billion souls on earth.

Life can be hard, and living can be a struggle. The world can be a cold and cruel place where the comfort of others is lost or denied. One singular promise made by Jesus is that every soul is known and seen by His Father. A small child in the mountains of Tibet is known by God, and a proud man living in New York City has the eye of the Lord God. No one escapes the gaze of the Lord God – whether for good or evil. God knows all. The darkness does not hide the acts of man. Small birds fall when it turns dark, and God knows that.

Jesus reminds us that God knows when a small bird falls to the ground to encourage the downtrodden, but it should also warn the wicked: God knows what they do and what they think. God knows the small things of life. He sees the heart filled with grief. God knows the tears of the brokenhearted. Jesus shows the care of God for every person on the face of the earth – without exception. God cares about the sparrow, but He cares more about you. Jesus did not die for the sparrow, but He did die for you. The sacrifice of Jesus shows how much God cares for the ‘sparrows’ of the world. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.