Q ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?

and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father [knowing].’ (Matt. 10: 29)

A The companion text to this is Luke 12: 6, which informs us that five sparrows could be had for two farthings.

This suggests that there was a discount in effect the more sparrows you bought, the more you saved.

This illustrates how little value was put on this eponymous bird. The detail in Luke is interesting in that it adds authenticity to the account, and bolsters our faith in the veracity of the Bible.

His People of Inestimable Value

Setting aside the consoling aspect of this remark to His disciples namely, that God is watchful over His consecrated people in exquisite detail the secondary import of our Lord’s comment is twofold: God knows about your trial . . . but may nonetheless permit the unhappy state of affairs to continue, not because He doesn’t care, but because He does, and seeks your greater spiritual good.

Following the analogy, the sparrow does, indeed, fall to the ground many sparrows fall in the natural world, and God does not prevent this from happening. This has nothing to do with the personal virtue or lack thereof on the part of the sufferer. Jesus assures us that we, His people, are of far more value than a bird. The distressing events in our lives are, therefore, of great interest to the Father, all designed to develop our character, deepen our faith and love for Him, and fit us for everlasting life.

The Human Experience

Alienated from God, humanity cannot learn the lessons crucial to eternal existence without experiencing loss or suffering. This fact should be digested and understood if one wishes to put the history of the world in the context of an intelligent faith. Yes, suffering is unevenly distributed and random, but it is not a permanent state, for happier days lie in store.

In the broader picture of human history tragedies accumulate until the Divine hand is raised, Halt! In that better day to come (the Millennial Age) grievances and deprivations will not only be redressed, they will be more than adequately compensated for. So much so, that the restitution recovery promised will reverse all the damage.

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. - Acts 3: 20, 21

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