If you ask someone about how much God loves man, many try and measure it by gold and silver.
This is typical but Jesus spoke of this subject in a way that may seem strange to some. He used something insignificant to tell of God’s love. He used sparrows as an illustration of God’s love.
“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” (Matt. 10:28-31).
What an odd thing to use, but look at what sparrows were in the time of Jesus.
When Jesus said these words, sparrows (the term sparrow was used generically of many small birds) were used in commerce. These small birds were a small morsel of food. Several of them would be plucked and place on a skewer then roasted over a fire and eaten like kabobs.
Notice the passage from Matthew again: two sparrows were sold for a penny. Luke records that five sparrows were sold for two pennies (Luke 12:6). This meant the buyer received the fifth sparrow for free because one sparrow had no value.
Imagine, even with all the things going on in the world at any given time, God knows when one sparrow – however worthless in man’s eye – falls to the ground.
Have you ever tried to count the number of birds you see in a day’s time? Yet God cares for each and every one of them. That in itself is unimaginable.
If God cares that much for one of his creatures, how much more does he care for man. In the eyes of some, it takes power, money or prestige to be important.
God cares for every person on the face of the earth no matter how much they are worth or what station in life they hold. That means that the beggar that is passed on the highway is important to God.
By reading God’s word this concept is readily seen. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God wants all men to be saved, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2: 3-6). In these passages God’s love is explained for all to know.
God made it possible for all men to be saved. He sent his Son to give himself as the ransom for man’s sins. He has given us his word so that we can know what is expected of us.
Some fail to read and study for themselves and only listen to what others tell them. Jesus himself implored those of his day to, “search the scriptures … and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
Knowing that the Bible comes from God (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) should make one curious enough to read it for ourselves. God wants us to believe on Jesus as his Son (John 8:24), to repent of our sins (Luke 13:3), be willing to confess the name of Jesus before men (Matt. 10:32, 33), and then be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38).
Study the Bible and come to know God’s love.