The Fifth Sparrow

This is an illustration I read years ago. It shows how the Lord values each one of us. When you are feeling worthless or of little value, remember to Him you are like this fifth sparrow!

The Fifth Sparrow

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

Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

I ran across a short story that illustrates well the truth of these verses. It’s about a poor Spanish boy who became a devoted Christian. A man asked how he had become converted, and the boy replied, “It was all because of the odd sparrow.” When the man asked what he meant, the boy explained, “A gentleman gave me a New Testament. I read in one Gospel that two sparrows are sold for a farthing. I read in another Gospel that five sparrows are sold for two farthings. That was very interesting to me.”

The boy continued, “I said to myself that our Lord knew well the custom of selling birds. We trap birds and get one coin for two sparrows. But for two coins we throw in a fifth sparrow. The extra sparrow is just for good measure; it is of no account at all.” A glowing smile lighted the boy’s face. “I am so poor and so small that I count for nothing,” he said. “I am like the fifth sparrow. And yet – this overwhelms me – Jesus said, ‘not one of them is forgotten before God.’ I have never heard of anything like it. Only Jesus could have thought of not forgetting me!”

That’s what’s so amazing and wonderful about our God and His Son. Other religions have multitudes of gods for different things – a god of the sea, a god of the weather, a god for prosperity, and so many more. But our God, the one true living God, is so great that He not only made every creature with perfect design but also remembers each one in perfect detail – all the way down to the common sparrow.

Are you feeling worthless, ‘of no account,’ insignificant, perhaps forgotten? You are not. True, God is concerned about the sparrow, but it pales in significance to how much He cares for you – so much so that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads. If you are feeling forgotten today, He says, Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Know that He loves you dearly. Let’s praise Him for that.