Exhortation Station

In Matthew 10:29-31, Yeshua said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

Luke 12:6-7 reads similarly, “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

I have for a long time found these words very comforting. Until recently, however, I had not noticed the context in which they were spoken. After reading the whole of Matthew 10, I saw the above verses in a light I hadn’t seen before. Let’s back up…

Matthew 10:1,5-6 — “Yeshua summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness…⁵ These twelve Yeshua sent out after instructing them: ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; ⁶ but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'”

At the start of Matthew 10, Yeshua calls together His twelve disciples. Beginning in verse 5, the remainder of the chapter relates the instructions Yeshua gave His disciples before sending them out. We continue:

Matthew 10:16-18,22 — “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles…²² You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Yeshua had some sobering words to tell His disciples. He warned them they would be persecuted and despised for His name’s sake. Now skipping to verses 26-33…

Matthew 10:26-33 — “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. ²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. ³² Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Until recently, the sobering context of verses 29-31 had not stood out to me. Yeshua knew His disciples were going to face heavy times. I picture Yeshua’s compassion as He related these hard truths to His disciples, those whom He loved to the end (John 13:1). Yeshua did not sugar-coat the fact that His disciples would face serious trials, not excluding physical harm or even death. In the midst of His earnest warnings and exhortations, however, He gave them beautiful words of hope to which to cling.

What a blessing that we have a Father who is so in tune with every detail of our lives that He even has our hairs numbered. What a privilege to serve a god who cares for even the smallest of His creatures, taking into account even the sparrow when it falls to the ground.

Here in America, certain ideologies are causing many to become increasingly hostile toward a Judeo-Christian worldview. Around the globe, hundreds of thousands of Believers are already experiencing severe persecution (visit OpenDoorsUSA.org). For those of us who are relatively comfortable, we ought not be surprised when difficult times come (1 Peter 4:12,13). For any of my readers who are currently being persecuted for holding fast to the testimony of Yeshua, remember that our Father in heaven is not only aware of your situation, but He cares about you even to the number of hairs on your head. You are not forgotten before Yahweh. If He remembers even the sparrow, He certainly remembers you. He keeps record of every tear you shed (Psalm 56:8). Yeshua Himself, the perfect Son of Yahweh, suffered deeply and profoundly so that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16,17).

Take courage, for there is hope! Let us end on a joy-filled note:

Revelation 21:1-7 — “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ ⁵ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ ⁶ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.'”

(Bible passages NASB 1995; Hebrew transl. inserted by me.)