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Matthew 10:29: “Are not two little sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall on the ground apart from your Father …”

Many commentators who are zealous to bolster the position that God is in control of everything that happens have interpreted this verse to mean God has a specific will for the death of even every sparrow, and also that no sparrow can fall without God’s will and consent. But we have a parallel account in Luke 12:6 that helps us understand what Jesus meant. In the account in Luke, Jesus fills out the meaning for us, saying, “not one of them [sparrows] is forgotten before God.” From reading Matthew in the greater context of the parallel account, we see that this passage teaches that God knows and cares even about sparrows. He has not forgotten about the sparrow, and its fall is not something overlooked or uncared for.

What a comfort this is, that God would have such care even for sparrows, and emphasizes how much He must care for us! What a greater comfort this biblical teaching is than the idea that no sparrow falls without God’s specific will and consent. If the fallen state of the world is due to Adam and Eve’s freewill decision and sin, and if the world is now under the control of Satan and God is fighting for us in all situations, then it is a comfort to know that even though God cannot simply stop pain and problems, He knows and cares what is going on and is willing to bless and help as He can, without overstepping things such as people’s freewill decisions.

We conclude along with Robertson of Word Pictures in the New Testament: “There is comfort in this thought for us all. Our father who knows about the sparrows knows and cares about us.”

*If you have enjoyed this Commentary Insight, for more, check out our complete REV Bible Commentary

Happy reading!