Luke 12:6-7 (ESV) -- Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

How well does God know you? There are two ways we often think about this in our minds. One is to affirm what the Scriptures teach, that He knows everything. In that sense, He knows us well. The other is to believe that we are small and insignificant in comparison to God and others, and believe that we’re not much on God’s radar. This is not biblical. God is transcendent and other than us, and there are more important people in the world, but God’s capacity for knowing us exceeds our understanding. He knows us down to the nitty gritty details.

Our passage today is a comfort to those who grasp it. Jesus is teaching and says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Five sparrows were sold in the marketplace for two pennies. They were cheap. Jesus’ listeners knew this. Nobody put much stock in the worth of sparrows. They would not have been a commodity to invest in, hoping for big returns. But Jesus showcases the knowledge and omniscience of the Father. He says none of those sparrows are forgotten by God. He knows each of them. Sparrows! The cheap birds. 

Then Jesus communicates the entire point of highlighting the sparrows: humans are worth more. If sparrows are intimately known by God, what do you think is His understanding of your life? Jesus tells us, “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” God knows us down to the strands of hair on our scalps. Unbelievable. 

This truth should comfort us. We are known. We are loved. Our God knows where we are, what we need, and has our lives firmly in His grasp. This helps us live with confidence and peace. We are not grand accidents in the world. We are known by the One who knows the sparrows.

Reflection & Journal:
- Why does Jesus tell the listening crowds about the knowledge God has of sparrows? 
- How does Jesus use this knowledge to teach about human worth? 
- What practical application do these truths have on the Christian’s life?

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