FROM THE HEART OF AURRSA: THE FIFTH SPARROW

Luke 12: 6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

In the time of Jesus, sparrows were a small morsel of food Several of them would be placed on a skewer and roasted over a charcoal fire just like kebabs.

In Matthew's Gospel parallel, we see written:

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:28-31)

Curiously, Luke mentions a FIFTH SPARROW. What message is being conveyed by him?

A bargain?

Whenever I visit the market I'm always on the lookout for a good bargain. A good bargain makes me feel that I have used my money wisely. I'm sure you too have similar aspirations when you shop.

So what is the value of the FIFTH SPARROW?

ZERO VALUE.

It was thrown in to strike a good bargain.

Let's see why Jesus spoke about this good bargain. The context is Luke 12.

Jesus speaks first about the 'yeast' of the Pharisees, then goes on to narrate the parable of the rich fool who ate, drank and was merry, accumulating wealth and putting his trust in his money.

YEAST OF THE PHARISEES

What was Jesus hinting at when he said to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees?

Their hypocrisy.

They say one thing and do another. Often, the very opposite of what they have said.

Then Jesus goes on to encourage the disciples with the assurance of His Father's protection.

The disciples, who were of no value in the eyes of the Pharisees, the FIFTH SPARROWS, were priceless to God.

He urged them to proclaim boldly the message of the Kingdom and their loyalty to the Son of God.

'DO NOT BE AFRAID.'

Jesus prepared his disciples to be persecuted, tried before governors and rulers, and told them to speak only by the power of the Spirit, who will teach them at that time what to say.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

To the crowds that were present, so many, that they were literally stepping on each other, he gave the same message in a story form.

He was answering a man in that crowd who said:

Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us."

Watch out!

The rich fool had land that bore good crops. He was thus getting richer every season. His barns were getting too small to hold the large quantities of grain he was harvesting so he decided to build bigger barns. He was content to rely on his wealth and planned to enjoy it. He considered himself LUCKY to be wealthy.

Imagine his horror when God said to him.

"TONIGHT, I WILL COME AND TAKE YOUR LIFE!"

Imagine yourself in this situation. Do you have the desire to RELY ON YOUR RICHES? If God were to come to you today and say these same exact words, what would you do next?

Sometimes, I wonder what that rich fool did after God spoke to him. Jesus didn't say.

But Jesus did say:

"This is how it is with those who PILE UP RICHES for themselves but are not RICH IN GOD'S SIGHT."

I know that if I was one of the Pharisees hearing this, I would squirm in my place. Jesus was obviously taunting this group for their hypocrisy. They had 'big barns', and they were persecuting the disciples of Jesus.

Jesus doesn't give solutions, He only compels us to think. The disciples were afraid. He told them not to be afraid, to rely on the HOLY SPIRIT and to watch out for every kind of greed. He assured them of God's infinite love in that even they, of zero value in the sight of men, were of great value to His Father.

Know that you are a priceless prince and princess and that God has counted every hair on your head. His eye is on you, His FIFTH SPARROW.