Luke 12:6-12: a reflection

To calm his followers' fears, Jesus points to God's attentive care over the smallest things: not one sparrow is forgotten by God, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Aren't five sparrows sold for two small coins, Jesus asks; and not one of them is forgotten by God. But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. God's care reaches even to the sparrows, sold cheaply and easily overlooked, not one of which he forgets; and it reaches to the smallest details of us, even the hairs of our head, all numbered. And the point is comfort: since God cares so attentively even for sparrows, and values you far more, you need not be afraid. This shows God's attentive care over the smallest things, so that we need not fear. God's care reaches even to sparrows and the hairs of your head. You are of great value to God, who forgets nothing about you. Because God cares so attentively for you, do not be afraid. God's detailed, personal care is reason not to fear.

Notice how Jesus uses God's attentive care to calm our fears. He points to the sparrows, small birds sold for next to nothing, easily overlooked; yet not one of them is forgotten by God. And he points to the hairs of our head, so many and so small we do not count them ourselves; yet God has them all numbered. God's care is that attentive, that detailed, reaching to the smallest and most easily overlooked things. And then Jesus draws the comfort: therefore do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. If God cares so attentively even for sparrows, and values you far more than they, then you are not overlooked, not forgotten, but held in a care that misses nothing. This is a comfort against fear. We can be afraid, feeling small, overlooked, or forgotten, as though no one were watching over us or our troubles were beneath notice. But God's care reaches to the sparrow and numbers the hairs of our head; and we are of great value to him, held in a detailed, personal care that forgets nothing about us. Because we are so cared for, we need not be afraid. We do well to let God's attentive care calm our fears, remembering that the God who forgets not one sparrow holds us, whom he values far more, in a care that misses nothing. Let God's attentive care calm your fears; you are not overlooked or forgotten. The God who forgets not one sparrow holds you in a care that misses nothing. You are of great value to God; do not be afraid. God's detailed, personal care over you is reason not to fear.

That is worth resting in, for God's attentive care reaches to the sparrow and numbers the hairs of our head, and because we are of great value to him and held in a care that forgets nothing, we need not be afraid, as Jesus taught. We can feel small, overlooked, or forgotten, and be afraid; but not one sparrow is forgotten by God, and the hairs of our head are numbered, and we are worth far more than many sparrows. You are not forgotten. When fear tells you that you are overlooked or your troubles beneath notice, remember God's attentive care that forgets not one sparrow and numbers your very hairs, and do not be afraid. Let God's attentive care over the smallest things calm your fears, remembering that not one sparrow is forgotten by him and the very hairs of your head are numbered, so that you, of far more value than many sparrows, need not be afraid, as to calm his followers' fears Jesus pointed to God's attentive care, asking whether five sparrows are not sold for two small coins and yet not one is forgotten by God, and saying that the very hairs of your head are all counted, therefore do not be afraid, for you are of more value than many sparrows; for God's care reaches even to the sparrows, sold cheaply and easily overlooked, not one of which he forgets, and to the smallest details of us, even the hairs of our head all numbered, and the point is comfort, that since God cares so attentively even for sparrows and values you far more you need not be afraid, since if God cares so attentively even for sparrows and values you far more than they, then you are not overlooked or forgotten but held in a care that misses nothing, which is a comfort against fear, since we can be afraid, feeling small, overlooked, or forgotten as though no one were watching over us or our troubles were beneath notice, but God's care reaches to the sparrow and numbers the hairs of our head and we are of great value to him, held in a detailed, personal care that forgets nothing about us, so that because we are so cared for we need not be afraid, and we do well to let God's attentive care calm our fears.