Figuratively; That which is sold is our soul and body, and that to which it is sold, is sin. They then who sell two sparrows for a farthing, are they who sell themselves for the smallest sin, born for flight, and for reaching heaven with spiritual wings. (vid. Ps. 124:7.) Caught by the bait of present pleasures, and sold to the enjoyment of the world, they barter away their whole selves in such a market. It is of the will of God that one of them rather soar aloft; but the law proceeding according to God's appointment decrees that one of them should fall. In like manner as, if they soared aloft they would become one spiritual body; so, when sold under sin, the soul gathers earthly matter from the pollution of vice, and there is made of them one body which is committed to earth.
For when any thing is numbered it is carefully watched over.
For it is an unworthy task to number things that are to perish. Therefore that we should know that nothing of us should perish, we are told that our very hairs are numbered. No accident then that can befal our bodies is to be feared; thus He adds, Fear not, ye are better than many sparrows.
Or this, ye are better than many sparrows, teaches that the elect faithful are better than the multitude of the unbelieving, for the one fall to earth, the other fly to heaven.
Note also, that He does not hold out to them deliverance from death, but encourages them to despise it; which is a much greater thing than to be rescued from death; also this discourse aids in fixing in their minds the doctrine of immortality.
Having set aside fear of death, that the Apostles should not think that if they were put to death they were deserted by God, He passes to discourse of God's providence, saying, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them does not fall to the ground without your Father?
Not that God reckons our hairs, but to show His diligent knowledge, and great carefulness over us.
If these little creations fall not without God's superintendence and providence, and if things made to perish, perish not without God's will, you who are immortal ought not to fear that you live without His providence.
That He says, The hairs of your head are all numbered, shows the boundless providence of God towards man, and a care unspeakable that nothing of ours is hid from God.
Those who deny the resurrection of the flesh ridicule the sense of the Church on this place, as if we affirmed that every hair that has ever been cut off by the razor rises again, when the Saviour says, Every hair of your head—not is saved, but—is numbered. Where there is number, knowledge of that number is implied, but not preservation of the same hairs.
This expresses still more clearly the sense as it was above explained, that they should not fear those who can kill the body, for if the least animal falls not without God's knowledge, how much less a man who is dignified with the Apostolic rank?
(Verse 29 onwards) Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. The Lord's discourse is attached to itself, and the following depend on the preceding. Wise reader, always beware of a superstitious understanding; so that you do not conform the Scriptures to your own senses, but join your senses to the Scriptures, and understand what follows. Above he had said: 'Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul'; now he speaks consequently, 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father.' And the meaning is this: If small and worthless animals do not perish without God as their author, and if there is providence in all things, and those things which are destined to perish do not perish without the will of God, then you who are eternal should not fear living without the providence of God. This meaning I have stated above: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they? And afterwards: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, and so on. But if the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God clothes it, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! Some forcefully interpret the two sparrows as representing the soul and the body. Even five sparrows, according to Luke (Luke XII), which are sold for two pennies, are referred to the senses. But how that understanding is adapted to the whole body of the Gospel message is not of little difficulty. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore, do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. The deeper meaning of our previous explanation is expressed: that those who can kill the body should not be afraid, for they cannot kill the soul, and if even small animals do not fall without God's knowledge, how much more so for humans, who are supported by apostolic dignity! Moreover, when it is said that even the hairs of your head are all counted, it shows the immense providence of God towards humans and signifies His ineffable affection, that nothing about us escapes God, and even the smallest and most insignificant things do not elude His knowledge. They mock the ecclesiastical intelligence in this place, who deny the resurrection of the flesh, as if we were all saying that even the hairs that have been counted and cut by the barber will rise again, when the Savior did not say, 'But all the hairs on your head will be saved,' but 'They are counted.' Where there is number, the knowledge of number is demonstrated, not the preservation of the same number.
(De Civ. Dei, xxii. 19.) Though we may fairly enquire concerning our hair, whether all that has ever been shorn from us will return; for who would not dread such disfigurement. When it is once understood that nothing of our body shall be lost, so as that the form and perfectness of all the parts should be preserved, we at the same time understand that all that would have disfigured our body is to be united or taken up by the whole mass, not affixed to particular parts so as to destroy the frame of the limbs; just as a vessel made of clay, and again reduced to clay, is once more reformed into a vessel, it needs not that that portion of clay which had formed the handle should again form it, or that which had composed the bottom, should again go to the bottom, so long as the whole was remoulded into the whole, the whole clay into the whole vessel, no part being lost. Wherefore if the hair so often shorn away would be a deformity if restored to the place it had been taken from, it will not be restored to that place, but all the materials of the old body will be revived in the new, whatever place they may occupy so as to preserve the mutual fitness of parts. Though what is said in Luke, Not a hair of your head shall fall to the ground, (Luke 21:18.) may be taken of the number, not the length of the hairs, as here also it is said, The hairs of your head are all numbered.
What do you see in creation of less value than a tiny sparrow? But even the sparrow will not fall without God’s knowledge. Jesus does not mean that the sparrow falls by God’s direct will because it is unworthy but that nothing that occurs is hidden from God. If then God is not ignorant of anything that happens in creation, and if God loves us more truly than the best human father, and if God loves us so as to have numbered our very hairs, then we need not be afraid. Jesus said this not to indicate that God literally has a number placed on the very hairs of our head but rather to show that God has perfect knowledge of everything about us and providentially cares for everything about us. Therefore, if God both knows all things that happen to us and is able to save us and willing to do so, then whatever we may be suffering, we need not think that God has forsaken us in our suffering. For it is not God’s will to keep us wholly separated from that which elicits dread but rather to persuade us not to make an idol out of whatever we dread. It is this, more than anything else, that constitutes deliverance from dread. “Therefore, don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.” Don’t you see that God views your fear with more concern than the lives of many sparrows? He already knows the secrets of your heart. Hence Jesus adds, “Do not fear.” For even if that which you dread prevails, it prevails only over your body; this is the limited part of yourself, which nature will surely take in due time and bring to an end.
Figuratively; that which is sold is our soul and body, and that to which it is sold, is sin. They then who sell two sparrows for a farthing, are they who sell themselves for the smallest sin, born for flight, and for reaching heaven with spiritual wings. Caught by the bait of present pleasures, and sold to the enjoyment of the world, they barter away their whole selves in such a market. It is of the will of God that one of them rather soar aloft; but the law proceeding according to God’s appointment decrees that one of them should fall. In like manner as, if they soared aloft they would become one spiritual body; so, when sold under sin, the soul gathers earthly matter from the pollution of vice, and there is made of them one body which is committed to earth.
For it is an unworthy task to number things that are to perish. Therefore that we should know that nothing of us should perish, we are told that our very hairs are numbered. No accident then that can befal our bodies is to be feared. Thus He adds, “Fear not, ye are better than many sparrows.”.
Or this, “ye are better than many sparrows,” teaches that the elect faithful are better than the multitude of the unbelieving, for the one fall to earth, the other fly to heaven.
Do you see that the fear had already prevailed over them? Yea, for He knew the secrets of the heart; therefore He added, Fear them not therefore; for even should they prevail, it will be over the inferior part, I mean, the body; which though they should not kill, nature will surely take with her and depart. So that not even this depends on them, but men have it from nature. And if you fear this, much more should you fear what is greater, and dread Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And He says not openly now, that it is Himself, Who is able to destroy both soul and body, but where He before declared Himself to be judge, He made it manifest.
But now the contrary takes place: Him, namely, who is able to destroy the soul, that is, to punish it, we fear not, but those who slay the body, we shudder at. Yet surely while He together with the soul punishes the body also, they cannot even chasten the body, much less the soul: and though they chasten it ever so severely, yet in that way they rather make it more glorious.
Do you see how He signifies the conflicts to be easy? Because in truth, death did exceedingly agitate their souls, inspiring terror for a time, for that it had not as yet been made easy to overcome, neither had they that were to despise it partaken of the grace of the Spirit.
Having, you see, cast out the fear and distress that was agitating their soul; by what follows He also encourages them again, casting out fear by fear; and not by fear only, but also by the hope of great prizes; and He threatens with much authority, in both ways urging them to speak boldly for the truth.
So that they would not fear that they are abandoned, He says, "If not even a sparrow is caught without My knowledge, how shall I abandon you whom I love?" And to show His precise knowledge and forethought for us He says that even the hairs of our head are numbered by Him. But do not think that the sparrows are snared by God’s doing; rather, that even the snaring of sparrows is not unknown to Him.
[AD 367] Hilary of Poitiers on Matthew 10:29-31
For when any thing is numbered it is carefully watched over.
For it is an unworthy task to number things that are to perish. Therefore that we should know that nothing of us should perish, we are told that our very hairs are numbered. No accident then that can befal our bodies is to be feared; thus He adds, Fear not, ye are better than many sparrows.
Or this, ye are better than many sparrows, teaches that the elect faithful are better than the multitude of the unbelieving, for the one fall to earth, the other fly to heaven.