Luke 12:5

“But I will warn you whom you shall fear. Fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, Fear him.”

The One they should rather go in awe of is the One Who after He has killed the body has power to cast the person into Gehenna, the eternal rubbish dump, the place of fire (Mark 9:43; Isaiah 66:24). That is something men cannot do. The name is based on ge-Hinnom, ‘the valley of Hinnom' which was the rubbish dump and incinerator outside the walls of Jerusalem. To look over the walls at night was an eerie sight, for far below in the valley could be seen the continually burning fires that consumed the city rubbish and the dead bodies of criminals which had been tossed there (Isaiah 66:24). The Jews were vividly aware of this picture and had made it a symbol of the place of unquenchable fire which would consume the wicked dead.

12. 6-7 “Are not five small birds sold for two assarion? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not. You are of more value than many small birds.”

However, while His disciples are to view God with reverential fear, they are not to be terrified of Him, for they should recognise that He cares for them so much that He has counted the hairs of their head, and values them far more than He does the small birds sold for food at five birds for two assarion (two small coins). They are to remember that He Who does not even forget a single one of those small birds, will certainly not forget them. For He is the Creator of all, and all things are open to the eye of Him with Whom we have to do. He knows all.

An assarion is one sixteenth of a denarius, the value of less than an hour's labour. The birds would be bought by the poor for eating (thus these were not necessarily sparrows, for sparrows were not eaten as far as we know). So if even the very food that they eat is known by God, they can be sure that they are known by Him as well, however poor and humble they may be. As the Rabbis would later say, ‘No bird perishes without God -- how much less a man.'

Matthew 10:26 contains similar sayings but was clearly spoken at a different time for it speaks of two sparrows for one assarion and even ignoring the other differences it is hyper-criticism which suggests that one or other (or their sources) would change the price of the birds. The differing prices clearly reflect different times of the year when supply and demand for small edible birds considerably altered. A free gift of one small bird for buying double the amount suggests a period of glut which resulted in having to increase demand by tempting offers. At this particular time traders in general were having their yearly ‘sales'.