While disapproving of John Calvin's (1989) anthropocentric view of the purpose of creation, David Clough (2012:75) still humanocentrically maintains that Jesus teaches that human life is more valuable than that of animals, e.g., in Matthew 6:16, Matthew 12:11-12, and Luke 12:6-7. Andy Alexis-Baker (2012: 45), however, contends that these sayings of Jesus' are "not about affirming a hierarchy of God's creatures" but about challenging the hierarchical human value system in relation to God's creatures:- "You see that God cares for those whom you value so little. "
Similarly, Richard Bauckham (1998:42) argues that God estimates animals more than human beings do. While human people would barely become aware of the decease of a 0.5 penny sparrow, God takes part in the decease of each one. Even after humans evaluate an animal's usefulness, like 2 coins for five sparrows, there is still "surplus value" not yet accounted for: theocentric value, i.e., Yahuah's value (Linzey 1998: xv). Human beings do not ascertain the value of animals. God does, and God's appraisal is not anthropocentric; God does not ascertain an animal's worth in accordance with its utility to humans.
"This means animals do not exist exclusively for human use. An animal's life, and death, has ontological significance beyond human purposes," to borrow Jesse Ramirez's (2005) words.
The verses concerned are quoted as follows:-
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26 NIV)
He [Jesus] said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!" (Matthew 12:11-12 NIV)
Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God... Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7 NKJV)
Article link: https://www.hkbnews.net/post/jesus-does-not-teach-human-life-is-more-valuable-than-animal-life-by-dr-chapman-chen
References
Alexis-Baker, Andy (2012). "Doesn't the Bible Say that Humans Are More Important than Animals?" In A Faith Embracing All Creatures. Eds. Tripp York and Andy Alexis-Baker. 39-52.
Bauckham, Richard (1998). "Jesus and Animals II: What did he Practice?". In Animals on the Agenda. Ed. A. Linzey et al. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Calvin, John (1989). Institutes of the Christian Religion. Trans. Henry Beveridge. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Clough, David (2012). On Animals: Volume I: Systematic Theology. London: T&T Clark.
Linzey, Andrew (1998). "Introduction." Animals on the Agenda. Ed. A. Linzey et al. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Ramirez, Jesse. "Animal, Factory Farms, and Catholic Social Teaching." Faith Seeking Food, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, May 25. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/bioethics/resources/faith-seeking-food/#:~:text=Aquinas%20denied%20that%20animals%20are,(2)%20Animals%20cannot%20reason.
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