Sparrows

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father –Matthew 10:29.

Of all the many, various winged creatures that frequent the skies, the sparrow is certainly esteemed among the lowest. People usually regard these drab birds as noisy, troublesome, and way overabundant. The original sparrows native to North America are shy birds of the fields and meadows. They are neither abundant nor bothersome. But the birds with a dour reputation for being disagreeable are house sparrows, which are native to Europe. They were introduced to our shores in the nineteenth century and with no natural controls present, increased rapidly. These are the “sparrows” spoken of in the Bible.

The sparrows to which Jesus referred are the world’s best-known sparrow and belong to the weaver finch family, which includes nearly three-hundred different species. It adapts so well to human habitation that it rarely breeds very far from civilization. Instead of admiring the sparrow’s adaptability, we view it as a pest. This bird was not esteemed much higher in Christ’s day and two were sold for a farthing (about a half cent).

The poorest of the poor in Israel would arrive at the meat market and scan the display. Beef, lamb, and fish were priced out of their budget. One copper farthing would purchase two sparrows. If they were to place two coins on the counter, they would receive four birds. Then possibly they would stare into the eyes of the store owner: Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings… –Luke 12:6. Like the present day “baker’s dozen”, this typical scene had repeated itself so often that it had become tradition: the merchant would then produce an extra bird and present it to his patron for free.

As a little boy with poor parents, it is highly probable that in the days of Jesus’ young life this scene had repeated itself before His own eyes. The fifth sparrow, of no value, had been thrown into the deal as a measure of goodwill and grace. Yet, this sordid specimen did not fall on the ground without the notice of the divine Father. Thus, streamed out the sublime and benedictory words, But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows –Luke 12:7. This is foundational to understanding the mind of God.

The message of the sparrow is plain, personal, pertinent, and poignant. The things that man esteems as trivial, trifling, and insignificant are never overlooked under the gaze of God. Any man, endeavoring to explore the daunting depths of God, is susceptible to missing the heartbeat of the heavenly Father. For he who would dive to explore the recesses of the deep must first pass through the surface bubbles on the wave. Though one may have no interest in bubbles and has chosen to ignore them, it is the simple truths that give God His greatness. The infinite grace of our God is wrapped in the package of a common house sparrow. This must arrest our attention if we are ever to attain an ounce of His likeness.

The convergent link drawn to the worthless bird is a worthless person. There are so many things that argue for our worthlessness. While modern inventions create a larger field for man, his arrogance creeps steadily higher, and his real significance erodes. Huge corporations have been constructed to employ him. Major shopping centers clothe and feed him. Mega churches have risen to console him. And the vast world of the Internet shall educate, entertain, and engulf him with a gigantic array of options to occupy any pursuit he may imagine. In this world of accumulated intelligence, man is drowning in indescribable despair. In such a vast domain he is nothing more than a bubble on the wave drifting without purpose in the infinitude of this universe.

There was a minister who was asked by a funeral director to come and hold a funeral service. The funeral service was announced, the hour was set, the place was stated, and when the minister stood up to preach there was no one in attendance but himself and the director. While most people never experience a despondency this acute, it is real to some, and it underscores the fact that some men are esteemed of little more significance than the sparrow, yet not in the sight of God.

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones –Isaiah 57:15. In a day when men smile and stretch their hands to receive the super-size fries, 20% more mustard in the bottle, or more footage on the roll of toilet paper… God still values the soul.

His delight is not merely in the sophisticated and prospering, but He makes His habitations among the…

…Little Ones

Such are the sparrows. The much-heralded eagles bear some disgusting traits such as feeding on dead carcasses, and we choose to overlook that they are gruesome, ravenous birds of prey. Instead, they are presented as the image of the mighty, to remind us of the glorious freedom of liberty and independence.

Children are the opposite. They are the emblem of innocence, dependance, and ignorance. And they [mothers] brought young children to him, that he [Jesus] should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them –Mark 10:13. It is rather natural for busy people to despise such little ones. For many wombs of the unborn, the life within is a cumbersome bother that is not worth the sacrifice required to retain it. Perhaps these souls, percentage wise, are the most despised humans on the face of the earth. The laws of our land have legalized the murder of them if anyone cares not for their existence. But Christ deems them otherwise. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them –Mark 10:16.

Not only are little children despised, so likewise, are small efforts. The addition of the widow’s two mites to the treasury arrested the attention of the general populace, though not in a positive fashion. Yet God attests that her little copper coins added more to His treasury than all the noisy sacks of silver that resonated down the chute. So insignificant was the lunch provided by the lad, that the disciples declared, …but what are they among so many? –John 6:9. Despite it all, God will never miss a sparrow, and neither can He ignore the smallest sacrifice offered freely by the hands of His little ones.

…Latter Ones

Such are the sparrows. Are not the native birds of North America far superior to these newcomers? We have grown accustomed to our own preferences and traditions and have little esteem for the input of another. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason –Proverbs 26:16. And so is the “early bird”. Folks stand for hours outside a store front in an effort to have the first chance at a bargain. These ignore the fact that their pursuit is entirely selfish, and they are driven by emotional frenzy to attain some piece of merchandise before someone else “gets it”. Life in America is offered on a “first come—first serve” basis and the thought of showing deference to another is often despised.

But this selfishness is nothing new. Christ was confronted with the same hardness when He introduced the new “wine” to the religious throng, but they insisted that the old was better. He [was] despised and rejected of men… –Isaiah 53:3, and He was deposed of at the earliest opportunity. Many will avidly spend their time in nothing else, …but either to tell, or to hear [or to purchase] some new thing. Acts 17:21, so long as it serves to gratify their curiosity or their fleshly lusts. But if that some new thing requires a sacrifice, commitment, or servanthood, it is generally destined for a sound rejection. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: –Acts 10:34. He despises not the presence of the sparrow, nor the rude Gentile arriving at the eleventh hour under His divine surveillance.

…Lesser Ones

Such are the sparrows. An orange for the orioles, sugar water for the hummingbird, a row of cottages for the blue bird, a mansion for the martins, a suet cake for the woodpeckers… and a BB gun for the sparrows—for they are worthless. This attitude is for the birds, but it is also intricately woven into our estimation of people. Humans are considered a resource. Those that are useful are esteemed highly, but those who are not, are ignored. But God does not place His values upon human standards of excellence. The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all –Proverbs 22:2.

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom … But ye have despised the poor… James 2:5-6. Herein lies the difference in the eyes of the beholder. A cup of cold water given in charity will not go unnoticed by God. Neither will the praise of a sparrow.

The totalitarian governments of communist regimes have been blatant offenders. Any human who could not or would not contribute to the furtherance of the political vision was exterminated. In our western society, we sigh and lament at the vast ignorance and injustice of such prejudice precinct, while our own nursing homes are full of discarded souls that are regarded as worthless and unworthy of our time and attention. We are too busy for our children and too busy for our parents, but the God who watches every sparrow fall esteems the lesser ones of much greater value than we do.

…Lackluster Ones

Such are the sparrows. The robin boasts his red breast and the cardinal his red crest, but the sparrow is drab brown. We have an innate insistence for beauty. If our hair is gray, it must be dyed. If our teeth are crooked, they must be straightened. If our car has rust, it must be replaced. Most are infernally infatuated with that which is beautiful. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and our God looks far past the surface. …let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price –1 Peter 3:3-4. Many will go to extra efforts to deplete their outward ostentation but forget that the emphasis of the verse is to make the inner heart beautiful.

God obviously has no qualms with physical beauty. He paints the sky with golden hues and adorns the rose in scarlet. But there are also sparrows that lack the splendor to attract human appreciation that do not go unnoticed by God. So are the anonymous earth dwellers who can do no more than weep at the feet of their Lord and wipe His dirty feet with their hair. These despised “sparrows” are royal diadems in the crown of Christ.

…Lost Ones

The woman who lost her silver searched her house until it was found, likewise, the shepherd with his lost lamb. But the search was made based upon the perceived value placed upon the lost item. Society is brimming over with an overabundance of lost souls. Not just lost to the salvation plan of God, but totally clueless to the laws of happiness. Perhaps, like the sparrows, they are overlooked because there are so many of them. At times, some caring souls venture from the beaten path of common words to help them, but soon retreat when attempts prove too meager to improve their condition. Despite it all, these misfits are noticed by God and their value is far above the sparrows.

While some will thrust all their evangelical energies toward the lost heathen on foreign soils, there is another lost entity here on our own turf. This is a lost respect and appreciation for the local church. Para-church Outreaches, personal ministries, retreats, and seminars lend an exciting appeal, to religious zealots, while the weekly meetings in the local church seem rather common and drab. While man runs from shore to shore to find his lost inspiration, Christ asks …Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? –Luke 18:8.

…Two farthings

The encouraging dimension of this comparison is that sparrows are relatively easy to obtain: For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good… –Mark 14:7. And a farthing is not a major expenditure. The only thing we must do is adjust our value system. If we wonder what we value most, we need not look farther than our own farthings. The avenues of life that reach out to receive our copper coins are the shrines that hold our hands and our hearts: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also –Matthew 6:21. Once our heart is open, our hands are sure to follow. For us, the fifth sparrow is somebody in need for whom Christ died. The great destiny and the call of the church is to extend a sensitive heart and a saving hand to the despised and neglected of our land. At the arrival of every humble sacrifice laid on the counter, God’s ready smile imparts the fifth sparrow for free.

–Alex Posey

Alex Posey – 1873-1908, a Creek Indian poet, died when he was trying to help two white people across the flooded North Canadian River. He held onto a branch of a tree until help came, but by the time they could throw him a rope his hands had paralyzed, and he couldn’t unmold them to clasp the rope, so he sank out of sight beneath the waters and died in the tide.