Jesus chose this diminutive bird to answer questions like: Does God really notice us? Does He watch over us and love and care for each of us?

In Matthew 10:29-31 and in Luke's version of the same event (Luke 12:6-7), Jesus uses the example of the sparrow to teach that nothing escapes the attention of our loving God. Why did Christ choose the sparrow? Sparrows are not majestic or powerful like raptors but just the opposite: Sparrows are extremely vulnerable, especially susceptible to birds of prey like falcons, hawks, and eagles.

Sparrows are small and nondescript. A sparrow's average length is only five to six inches long, and one of the tiny creatures weighs less than an ounce. And most often, they go unnoticed even though they number in the billions (1.6 billion house sparrows are estimated to exist around the globe, and there are 28 true-sparrow species). They are drab brown and blend in with the ground, dry grass, or scrub. There is little to them to hold a person's attention. They cannot match the brilliance of colored plumage other songbirds sport.

No one prizes sparrows. No one gets excited when one flies into sight. No one pays big money to import a pair from abroad. People do not keep them in cages for their pleasant song; in fact, their “song” is more of a squawk. To put it bluntly, the sparrow is probably the most insignificant of all birds.

Yet, it is for this very reason that Jesus used them to teach the apostles about God's watchful care over them and us today.