<p>10:29&nbsp;<em>Are not two sparrows-&nbsp;</em>&ldquo;An inscription of the Emperor Diocletian setting out the maximum prices that might be paid for various articles of commerce shows that sparrows were the cheapest of birds used for food...&rdquo; (Leon Morris,&nbsp;<em>The Gospel According to Matthew</em>&nbsp;(Leicester: I.V.P., 1992)). This is another example of the Lord&rsquo;s radical collision course with the Rabbis; He taught that God&rsquo;s care even embraces sparrow. For the Rabbis explicitly forbad prayers that mentioned God&rsquo;s care for birds, because they argued that it was dishonouring to God to associate Him with something so small as a bird (<em>Berith</em>&nbsp;5.3). And the Lord purposefully stood that idea upon its head. The Rabbis had a whole list of unforgivable sins, like murder, apostasy, contempt for the Law, etc. But the Lord went further. His many words of judgment weren&rsquo;t directed to the murderers and whores and Sabbath breakers; they were instead directed against those who condemned those people, considering themselves righteous. He calls those who appeared so righteous a &lsquo;generation of vipers&rsquo;. The publican, not the Pharisee, finds God&rsquo;s acceptance, according to Jesus. And again, the Lord is making a telling point- because Rabbis held that repentance for publicans was almost impossible, because it was impossible for them to know exactly all the people they&rsquo;d cheated. Very clearly, the Lord&rsquo;s message was radical. He was out to form a holy people from whores and gamblers, no-good boys and conmen. And moreover, He was out to show that what God especially judges and hates are the things that humanity doesn&rsquo;t think twice about: hypocrisy, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, exclusion of others&hellip;&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Sold for a very small coin- </em>An <i>assarion</i> / farthing, the tenth part of a drachma / denarius, which was a day's pay for a labourer. The Matthew record has the Lord saying that two sparrows are sold for one farthing; Luke 12:6 records that He said that five sparrows were sold for two farthings. So what did the Lord really say? I suggest something like this: 'As you know, two sparrows are sold for one farthing, they cost half a farthing each; but often, as you know,&nbsp;<em>five&nbsp;</em>sparrows are sold for&nbsp;<em>two</em>&nbsp;farthings, they'll throw one extra in for free, they're worth so little'.</p>
<p><em>And not one of them shall fall on the ground-&nbsp;</em>One sparrow &quot;shall not fall&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;ground&nbsp;without (the knowledge of) your Father&quot;. God is aware of the death of each bird- He does not allow animals to die due to their natural decay (the clockwork mechanism) without Him being actively involved in and conscious of their death. Again, Jesus shows how God's knowledge&nbsp;and participation in the things of the natural creation must imply an even greater awareness of us. &quot;The very hairs of your head are all numbered&hellip; you are of more value than many sparrows&quot; (Mt. 10:30,31). God hasn&rsquo;t wound up this world and left it ticking by clockwork, dispassionately looking on as Israel and all His people make such a mess of things. He sends the rain, consciously; not a sparrow falls from the air [i.e., as the result of a man&rsquo;s sling stone- for birds die in their nests usually, not in mid-flight] without Him being aware, and, by implication, grieving for it. He even knows how much sparrows are sold for. &nbsp;See on 6:26.</p>
<p><em>Without your Father</em>- The Lord was &ldquo;the word made flesh&rdquo;. All that He taught, He in some way experienced and obeyed. In the time of His persecution and death, He fell to the ground literally (same words- Mk. 14:35) as well as figuratively (same words Jn. 12:24); and called out to the &ldquo;Father&rdquo;. Clearly He had in mind His own earlier teaching; but how hard and demanding it was for Him to live it out.&nbsp;</p>