His Eye is on the Sparrow
Scripture — Matthew 10:24-31 (NRSV)
Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Focus
Our job is not to manage the results. Our job is to be faithful to the mission.
Devotion
As I mentioned yesterday, during the summer and during Ordinary Time the lectionary moves somewhat continuously through books of the Bible—at least for the Epistle and Gospel readings. (You can read more here in this devotion from 2022 about how there are two possible ways to approach Old Testament readings during Ordinary Time, and in this devotion from 2021 about why it’s called Ordinary Time in the first place). During this summer (Year A in the lectionary) we move through the Epistle to the Romans, as we saw yesterday, and through the Gospel of Matthew.
Moving through the Gospels like this (the lectionary assigns us each year to do so basically with either Matthew, Mark, or Luke) allows us more time to reflect on Jesus’s earthly ministry, especially in years when we may have had a very short Epiphany season. And thus today we find ourselves in the audience with Jesus’s twelve disciples as he sends them out to spread the news of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 10:1-7). And as we linger there, we find that he gives them several things:
- Power: “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness” (10:1).
- Instructions: “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons” (10:7-8a, which actually represents a small portion of the instructions, all of which I encourage you to read).
- Warnings: “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the gentiles” (10:16-18).
- Reassurance: “When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (10:19-20. Today’s passage is part of an extended reflection on that last point).
These are not bad things to keep in mind as we spread the news of the kingdom of heaven ourselves: Jesus gives us a mission, empowers us to do it, warns us that it will not always be easy, and tells us not to worry.
It seems to me that most mistakes leaders (and people in general) make center around that last point: worrying that God will not accomplish his purposes. Worry does not equal doubt; there is always room for honest doubt in our lives, always room for asking questions of God and of the Christian community when we don’t understand the path we are on. Where we get in trouble is when we decide that we ought to take care of the things God has forgotten to notice, that we ought to set up the world so that the Christian gospel always gets a hearing and the good news always gets listened to. Our job is not to manage the results. Our job is to be faithful to the mission.
After all, the Father’s eye is on even the tiniest of sparrows. So, Jesus reminds us, the Triune God probably knows a thing or two about us too.
Reflect
Where are you limiting God?
Where are you not limiting yourself and seeing yourself as a disciple under his authority?
Act
I encourage you to read about the life story of Ethel Waters, the great gospel singer and actress who rededicated her life to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade in 1957. After she did that, she became famous for singing a gospel song based on this passage at Graham’s crusades: “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Listen to her singing it here and hear the reassurance God has for you.
Pray
(Prayer for the Sunday closest to June 22 in the Book of Common Prayer)
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Laborers Deserve Their Food (Matthew 10).
Jennifer Woodruff Tait
Editorial Coordinator
Jennifer Woodruff Tait (PhD, Duke University; MSLIS, University of Illinois; MDiv/MA Asbury Theological Seminary) is the copyeditor of and frequent contributor to Life for Leaders. She is also senior editor of