In Matthew 10:31, Jesus says, “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is telling us that we are worth more than many sparrows. When we first look at this passage, it can be confusing.
In our present-day society, it is difficult to understand our worth in comparison to sparrows and it makes us ask the question, “What does it mean that we are worth more than sparrows?”
Our Great Worth
Before we can understand the specific meaning of Jesus’ statement in Matthew 10:31, we have to understand the surrounding context.
In the surrounding context, Jesus is telling His followers that they will face persecution because of their faith in Him, but He reminds them that He will always be with them no matter what happens (Matthew 10:22-28).
The Lord tells His followers that they should not be afraid because He will always be with them. Come valleys or hills, the Lord will always remain beside our sides.
Jesus tells His disciples, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).
When Jesus tells this vital information to His disciples, He is telling them of their great worth in the Father’s eyes. Just as the Father cares about the smallest of sparrows falling to the ground, He cares even more about the life of His children.
If God cares this much about a tiny sparrow, think about how much He cares about you. Jesus tells us directly, “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31b).
We don’t need to be afraid of the future because God is going to be with us through it all. This is one of the main messages that Jesus is trying to tell His disciples in Matthew 10:22-28. Even though Jesus told this message to His disciples, it still applies to us today.
God loves us unconditionally and He cares about every part of our lives. Never doubt that for a second. You matter, your life matters, and your future matters. God cares about every hair on your head, and He will be with you always.
As human beings, we are unique among God’s creation. We are unique because we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). Nothing else in God’s creation is made in His image, which means God places a high value on our lives.
God cares about the rest of His creation, yet He places a higher emphasis and importance on human beings because we are made in His image. As Jesus tells us, we are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31).
Our Self-Doubt
In the present pressure of the 21st century, we are often filled with self-doubt over our worth and value as human beings. The world tells us that our worth is found in our appearance, our successes, or how much money we make.
The truth is that none of these things determine our worth. God tells us we are already valuable and have great worth because we are His. Every human being's life is valuable to God, and He loves us all dearly.
This is why He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world. He sent His Son in order for the whole world to have a chance to accept Him as their Savior and Lord (John 3:16-17). God does not show favoritism or partiality (Romans 2:11).
He wants all people to come to know Him and accept His free gift of salvation by placing faith in Christ (1 Timothy 2:4-6). God wants all people to know Him because He wants every single person to experience forgiveness of sins, redemption, and eternal life.
Through these facts, we know that we have great worth. Even if we may not feel like it sometimes, we are worthy and we are valuable. Since God tells us we have great worth and value, then it is the truth.
The world tries to pull us down under the weight of societal pressures to conform to the definition of worth according to the world, but we don’t have to let it. Instead, we can know we have great worth in the eyes of God.
No matter what other people have said or what you have said to yourself, know that you do have great worth and value because God tells us this in the Bible.
This is why Jesus tells His disciples that all human beings are worth more than many sparrows because He wanted them to know that God loves, values, and cherishes each one of them.
In the same way, God loves, values, and cherishes all of His children — not only His disciples during His earthly life. All people are worth, and all people are valuable no matter how we feel or what we think about ourselves. God values all of us, including you.
We Are Dearly Loved
Since we are worth more than many sparrows, this means that God greatly loves us. He showed the extent of His love by dying for us while we were still actively living in sin (Romans 5:8).
Jesus’ main message when He was telling His followers that they were much more than sparrows was to convey the truth that God not only places a high worth on them and values them, but that He also dearly loves them.
To know that the God of the universe, the One who created the stars and the seas loved us, can be unfathomable at times, yet it is true.
Even though Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God in the Book of Genesis by eating the forbidden fruit, God still loved them, and He still loves all human beings.
His love for us extends further than any measuring rod could measure. Since we are dearly loved by God, we can trust Him and know that He will always be with us.
We will go through difficult seasons, persecutions, and grief, but God will walk with us through it all because He loves us. God never promised us that He will protect us from every danger, but He does promise to remain steadfast by our sides (Psalm 23).
Therefore, as human beings, we are worth more than many sparrows in the eyes of God. When Jesus tells us we are worth more than many sparrows, He is pointing out the truth that God places a high worth and value on our lives as well as He is telling us that we don’t need to be afraid.
Not only does He place a high worth and value on our lives, but He also dearly loves us. Jesus wanted to tell His disciples this and all who would read His words in the future in order for them to know this truth.
The world will try to convince us that our worth is found in other things, but God already tells us we have worth and value because He created us in His image, and He dearly loves us.
May this truth bring peace to your soul today because as the Lord says, you are worth more than many sparrows and you don’t need to be afraid.
For further reading:
Is Jehovah the True Name of God?
Why Should We Not Worry about Tomorrow?
How Can We Completely Trust in God?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Alina Demidenko
