“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Mt 10:29-31 AV)
What has always piqued my curiosity regarding this statement is from my
perspective, it seems as though something untoward happens to these two
sparrows. The sparrow who falls to the
ground has lost his life. The phrase ‘falling
to the ground’ is an oft-used phrase to describe death. Most commentators write of the relative worthlessness
of sparrows. A farthing was the least denomination
one could carry. The going rate of
sparrows at the time was ten sparrows for five farthings. A half a farthing for one sparrow. However, one could not purchase any less than
ten. This is certainly a cursory application
to this passage. If the Father cares
for, and controls, the destiny of one worthless sparrow, how much more does He
have our lives in the palm of His hand.
But I think the meaning can go deeper than this. When we study the sparrow and find that the
sparrow was the offering made on behalf of a healed leper, the picture of what
Jesus was saying gets all the more clearer.
According to Leviticus chapter four, once a leper was declared clean, he
was to offer two sparrows. The first one
was set free. The second would fall to
the ground.
There are times when we question whether what we are doing for the sake
of others is appreciated. Especially
when it costs us something. Ministry is
not easy. It will always exact a cost greater than our estimation. We spend time, resources, and energy in helping
those who desperately need our help and often see little reward for our
efforts. We invest in a soul only to
have the majority of those in whom we invested fall backward. There are costs to doing ministry which few
will ever know. The effort that goes into
calling, praying and teaching is known by only a few. In our text, the implication is one might
have to lay down his life for the sake of another soul. Our comfort is God’s recognition and
care. If the Father knows of and
recognizes the offing of, one little sparrow for the cleansing of a leper, then
surely He knows and cares of all that we sacrifice to help others along their
spiritual walk with God.
Lepers are a picture of a sinner.
The sparrow is compared to the disciple.
The picture here is profound. The
disciple offers his life that one sinner might be cleansed and God
notices. We have to be reminded of God’s
appreciation for what we do. We are not
good at recognizing the efforts of others.
We don’t always say thank you.
Even more so a sinner who has been turned towards the grace of God. They are thankful to Jesus for saving
them. But how often do you hear a testimony
of the one who led them to Christ?
Rarely does the saint acknowledge the work of the one who was a faithful
ambassador. As it should be. Jesus gets all the credit! But it is nice to know that when we sacrifice,
God notices. He notices every sacrifice
no matter how insignificant it may seem to others. God knows and God appreciates everything you
do that turns to the salvation of souls!
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