Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 10:29

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father:" — Matthew 10:29 (ASV)

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?—The coin mentioned here is not the same as the “farthing” of Mark 12:42. The word there is kodrantēs, the quadrans, or fourth part, of the Roman as; here it is assarion, the diminutive of the as, and equal to the tenth part of the denarius. The fact that the denarius was the average day’s wages of a soldier or a labourer gives a fair approximation to its value. The homeliness of the illustration was adapted to the past experience of the apostles. It appears in an even more homely form in Luke 12:6, five sparrows sold for two farthings, where the cheapness that tempted the purchaser testified to how little value people placed on the birds being sold.

Without your Father—The primary thought is obviously that the providence of God extends to the very humblest of His creatures. Thoughts more familiar to us in these later days may lead us to think of that Providence as working through fixed and general laws. However, the truth remains unaltered, for law itself is simply the expression of the will of God, and faith may accept the law as working out a divine purpose of good for the universe and for every free agent who consciously accepts it.