Wednesday Devotion: More Than a Worthless Fifth Sparrow

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.

Luke 12: 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Have you ever felt worthless? Like you could be a free throw-in on a combo deal?

My favorite grocer persuades me to buy more through combination deals. On my last trip, I saw that if I bought Cheez-It crackers, I would get a free box of cookies. I didn't need Cheez-Its, but I wanted free cookies. We'll probably eat the Cheez-Its, too. Sometimes if I buy a certain meat, the grocer will throw in a number of sides for free.

During Jesus's time, the poorest people would eat sparrows as food. Sparrows had little worth; you could buy two for a penny, according to Jesus. Not only that, you could get a deal on sparrows. If you spent two pennies, instead of getting four, you could get a fifth sparrow for free!

I feel sorry for that fifth sparrow. It's almost as if the poor thing has no value. You could get it for free when you bought four others.

Jesus tells us an amazing thing: even that worthless fifth sparrow has value to God. That sparrow is not forgotten. When it dies, God notices. Another translation of "fall to the ground" is "land on the ground." That would be even more intriguing. It implies that God is connected to creation as the Great Air Traffic Controller, monitoring the constant landings and takeoffs of all the birds of the world, even this worthless little sparrow.

Have you ever felt like the worthless sparrow? That you had no value? Felt like if you just went away, no one would notice or care?

Jesus says your Heavenly Father would notice and care. In both gospels, Jesus went on to assure people, "You have more value than many sparrows." That may seem like faint praise. But the point is, if God cherishes each sparrow, how much more does God cherish you?

When you fall down, God notices and cares.

When you arise and take flight again, God cheers.

When you die, God is ready to welcome you.

You are worth so much more than you can imagine.

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