The Value Of A Sparrow

(by Lorie Codispoti)

For the longest time I thought our resident woodpecker was an aviary escapee. Seriously, I thought someone’s pet had flown the coup and resettled in our little cluster of trees. With his loud, tropical song, he rivals every other bird in the forrest.

The Bible mentions birds 300 times. One example is found in Mathew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Contrary to some of my bird savvy friends, my entire collection of ornithological knowledge wouldn’t fill a hummingbird egg. But sparrows? Really?

I don’t have to be an ornithologist to know that sparrows are not only a common bird, whose numerous flocks number in the thousands, but they are so common that predators can feast upon them and still barely put a dent in their population. So plentiful were they in biblical times, that this passage indicates that you could purchase two for a penny. (Cheaper still, if you bought in bulk - five for two cents according to Luke 12:6.)

Cue the curiosity that sparks the questions that drive me to dig a little deeper.

Starting with the big one: Why? Why does God use a seemingly worthless, no-frills sparrow to express our value? I mean, wouldn’t the glamour of a more exotic bird be what garners the attention of esteemed publications? Wouldn't their colorful plumage and unique characteristics be the thing that compels every bird lover to upgrade their binoculars? No bird club is going to race to be the first to post their encounter with a lack luster sparrow when they wouldn’t even qualify as a contestant in the flying beauty chain.

In hopes of filling a bigger egg with my bird knowledge, I did a little research.

Did you know that because of its location, Israel is a country of continual migration? Over 500 million migratory birds cruise Israel’s celestial highway, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Imagine the display.

The common house sparrow is not, however, among those just passing through. Claiming six continents as home, sparrows are among one of Israel’s resident nesting birds. They love being around people and will nest in and on just about any structure (rafters, streetlamp, gutters, gas pumps, planters, etc. - no crevice is off limits). These greedy little beggars are also aggressive and persistent, stealing everything from a french fry to your burger’s wrapper if given the chance. They compete with other birds over nesting rights and will elbow out their neighbors at the feeder.

Sparrows are apparently a bird lover’s kryptonite, causing them to question their loving devotion to the entire winged world. One bird watcher confesses he wouldn’t mind seeing a few hundred of these winged interlopers land claws-up on the ground, but says they’d likely survive a nuclear attack. Superstitions abound as well. Some believe that if a sparrow flies into your home it means someone is about to die. Others say trouble is on the horizon if you dream of an injured one.

So again, I ask, if sparrows have been dubbed the lab rats of the avian world by most cultures, why would Jesus tell His disciples they were “of more value than many sparrows”? (Mtt.10:31) Was that supposed to make them feel better, because I don’t think I’d be feeling the love.

I found the answer within the three omnies of God.

Omniscient. God is all-knowing. He not only has full knowledge of every creature that has ever lived and died, but He has numbered the very hairs on our heads (Mtt.10:30). While we cannot count the number of stars, He has named each one (Psa.147:4). The psalmist even references God’s thoughts toward us as outnumbering the grains of sand.

God’s knowledge, says the writer of Psalm 139, “is too wonderful for me” - so high that “I cannot attain it.” (Vs.6) Job echoes this sentiment and acknowledges God’s omniscience when he proclaims, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”(Job 42:5). In a world that elevates knowledge, I find great comfort in the fact that God’s knowledge is too wonder-filled for me to wrap my thoughts around. It enables me to rest in the assurance of His loving care.

Omnipotent. God is the supreme Ruler. He exacts ultimate control over every aspect of His creation. God’s word tells us that not one sparrow falls outside of His will (Mtt.10:29), and that He provides for their every need (Mtt.6:26). In both of these passages we are encouraged not to worry about the things to come. Because God’s rule involves caring for the needs of every creature under heaven, even a new believer (which is what Jesus' disciples were at this time) can fully trust in His sovereignty and be assured that nothing has the power to usurp His divine rule and reign over their lives.

Omnipresent. God is present. Everywhere. All the time. From the beginning of time He’s never been absent from any event in human history.

In Psalm 102 we read the plight and heart’s cry of a broken person pleading for God’s presence. Overwhelmed by his affliction, he likens himself to “a pelican of the wilderness,” an “owl of the desert,” and “a sparrow alone on the housetop.” (Vs.6-7) Since pelicans live near water, and eat fish, this expression symbolizes hopeless destitution. An owl’s nocturnal hoot has long been associated with a mournful death cry. And, since a sparrow is rarely seen far from his life-sustaining community, the sighting of a lone one represents deep loneliness and sorrow.

The lamenting soul is one who feels alone and abandoned. Because God is ever-present He hears and comes to the aid of the broken. “You, O Lord will endure forever. You will arise and have mercy.” (Psa.102:12a&13) “He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise it.” (vs.17) “For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those appointed to death…” (vs.19-20a)

In Matthew 10, Jesus is preparing His disciples by telling them what they will face as they are sent to proclaim the gospel… They will be sheep among wolves - rejected, hated, tortured, accused, and even put to death. He knows there will be times when they wonder if God knows what they are going through (omniscience). He knows they will question God’s rule (omnipotence). And, Jesus knows that their circumstances will cause them to doubt God is with them like He promised (omnipresence). His words arm them, and He prepares them with the truth they will need for the times when they will feel as worthless as a dead sparrow hanging in the market, and as deserted and destitute as a lone bird crying in the wilderness.

Christian, in a world filled with migratory wonders and nesting beauties, it’s easy to feel like an insignificant little sparrow, easily lost among a multitude of our own look-a-likes. It’s easy to think we’ve been abandoned when the enemy’s “arrow that flies by day” targets and fells us to the ground, leaving us broken and defenseless. However, our God provides a “secret place” for us to hide and abide when we feel overwhelmed. He “delivers us from the snare of the fowler” and “covers us with His feathers.” It’s “under His wings where we take refuge.” His “truth shall be our shield” and no evil predator will have the power to destroy us when we “make the Lord our habitation.” (Read and ponder these beautiful truths, found in Psa.91.)

It’s not about having the greatest wing span in the sky. It’s about the One whose shadow dwarfs yours because He “sits above the circle of the earth.” (Isa.40:22) It’s not even about out-singing your woodland counterparts, (like our resident woodpecker) because you know it’s “God’s voice that thunders and melts the earth.” (Psa.46:6)

When God choses to place value on the insignificant, it’s because He is significant. And because of who He is, the common little sparrow becomes the most beautiful bird in the sky.

“I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”