Sermon Tone Analysis

Recap

Tobit’s prayer of distress

Sarah’s prayer of distress

Archangel Raphael, disguised as a man, came to heal Tobit and release Sarah from her distress

Named Azarias…God helps

Orthodox approach to OT is to interpret from the lens of Christ

Christ came to heal and set free humanity…Raphael is an image of that

Raphael and Tobias begin their journey

Tobit gives Tobias advice along the way to continue in generosity, service and almsgiving.

Journey’s into the unknown

Everyone takes a journey in life

new city for school or work

moving

uncertainty with health concerns

getting married

QUESTION: what are things you do, practices you keep, or things you remind yourself of in order to stay grounded during your journey?

Ex.

“God is for me, not against me”

Prayer, exercise, church

Remember: The book of Tobit among other books were kept in the canon because they provided encouragement and practical instruction for people.

The Journey Begins

What are your thoughts after reading a portion of scripture like this?

Did this really happen

discredit the authenticity of the book

Weird things happened back then

Ways to approach unique passages in scripture?

Allegory: Most commonly, patristic fathers will interpret this allegorically (story or picture that reveals a hidden meaning)

Sometimes the allegorical interpretation is seen differently but the idea or gist is there.

Many father don’t comment

AUGUSTINE.

That fish which came alive out of the river to Tobias, whose heart, liver, consumed by passion, put the demon to flight, was Christ, and by the bitterness of the gall, the blind man was healed, and the world was restored.

[Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 4 on Peter and Paul]

BEDE (7th century benedictine monk).

Here again the mystery of the Lord’s suffering is plainly signified.

For the huge fish that Tobias killed at the angel’s prompting, after it tried to devour him, signifies the ancient devourer of humankind, namely the devil, whom the divine power snared while the devil was eagerly anticipating the death of the flesh in our Redeemer.

2. Spiritually: The provisions of God for the journey.

God’s divine intervention which is essential to the success of the story

3. Analytically: What fish could it be that was common to the Tigris river?

Was gall, liver and heart really used medicinally back then?

There is flexibility in approach.

But flexibility must be safe guarded by sound doctrinal/dogmatic belief

The explanation by Raphael for the purpose

Uncertainty about the next step

As they Journey Raphael prepares Tobias for a marriage to Sarah

As Sarah is the only child, the inheritance is her on one condition she marries a kinsmen, or else her father will be put to death.

Tobias, has heard of Sarah and her 7 husbands and is clearly troubled.

Remember: He is the only son, his death would grieve his parents

This journey is a last ditch effort to salvage the family and retrieve the silver deposited by Tobit decades ago.

His death would be a catastrophe: financially and emotionally.

Raphael tries to comfort Tobias’ anxiety

The balance between anxiety and faith is real.

We have to learn to balance this tension

1) rely on prayer 2) trust in his promises and 3) reaffirm God’s sovereignty

God promised his people if they obeyed his commands He would provide for them.

Though they are in exile Tobit (and family) are righteous people and God is taking care of them as they keep their eyes on him.

The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah (7)

Upon reaching Ecbatana Raphael leads them to Raguel house.

Sarah greets them and welcomes them in

Raguel sees the resemblance of Tobias to Tobit....they discover they are kinsmen

Raguel, Edna and Sarah are happy Tobit is alive but sad that he is blind

Tobias asks Raphael to ask for Sarah’s hand

Full disclosure...

I’m guessing Raguel was quiet wealthy…why would 7 others try to marry Sarah knowing the fate of the last guy.

The boldness of Tobias: Steps of faith lead to greater faith

Tobias on the road was troubled

Prayer, trust, reaffirmation helped

Tobias prompted the proposal after a brief meeting

He would not eat until the agreement was finalized

Taking steps of faith on a journey have a characteristic of building us up along the way!

Concluding Chapter 7

Bridal sweet is prepared

Sarah is crying, fearing Tobias will be dead

Edna, comforts her daughter hoping and praying the outcome will be different.

Sarah is scared but she is a fighter!

Wedding night (8)

Every journey has a moment or moments of truth.

Its the make it or break it of the journey.

If the moment goes well, there is an unbelievable sigh of relief.

Renewed strength

The wedding night is the pinnacle of the journey for Tobias.

What can we learn from his approach?

QUESTION: What strikes you about Tobias and Sarah.

How do they approach their moment of truth?

How does Raguel approach the night?

Then when he sent a maid to check on them and found them alive and sleeping she reported back to Raguel who rejoiced

Tobit 8:15–17 (NRSV)

15 So they blessed the God of heaven, and Raguel said, “Blessed are you, O God, with every pure blessing; let all your chosen ones bless you.

Let them bless you forever.

16 Blessed are you because you have made me glad.

It has not turned out as I expected, but you have dealt with us according to your great mercy.

17 Blessed are you because you had compassion on two only children.

Be merciful to them, O Master, and keep them safe; bring their lives to fulfillment in happiness and mercy.”

Mercy and compassion: two defining characteristics of God

Faith and obedience are important on the Journey

They pave the way for us to experience the mercy and compassion typical of God.

Each person of this story contributed in part to the outcome.

Each one showed faith and obedience in someway

Its a beautiful example how God masterfully weaves everything together.

Its important to remember that your outcome is tied to someone else…your faith and obedience impacts someone close to you.

each of us must be committed to our unique journeys