(11.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: A Healing and a Revelation
(11.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: A Healing and a Revelation.
“Sarah’s father embraced Tobias and said to him, ‘Goodbye, my son. Have a safe journey. May the Lord of heaven grant prosperity to you and to your wife Sarah. And may I see children of yours before I die.’ Then he kissed his daughter Sarah and said to her… ‘Go in peace, my daughter; let me hear good reports about you as long as I live.” (Tobit 10:11-12).
The Story Continues. After the marriage ceremony of Tobias and Sarah, Raphael took a quick visit near Media to retrieve Tobit’s long-lost investment money. Meanwhile, the wedding celebration continues. All this time, though, Tobit is anxiously waiting at home in Ninevah for Tobias’ return. It was mother Anna, though, that was taking her son’s absence the hardest. She would weep all day every day, wondering if her precious boy had perished during his journey. She kept an all-day vigil on the nearby roadside, and she refused even to eat. After her daytime watch, she would retire to bed and weep all night as well.
Finally! After two full weeks of wedding celebrations at Sarah’s home in Media, the newlyweds were finally able to extricate themselves from Sarah’s parents, but not without his impassioned blessings on them both (see above). Sarah’s mother spoke a special blessing over Tobias as well… “My child and beloved kinsman, may the Lord bring you back safely to your home, and may I live long enough to see children of you and my daughter Sarah before I die. Before the Lord, I entrust my daughter to your care, Tobias. Never cause her grief at any time in her life. Go in peace, my child. From now on I am your mother, and Sarah is your beloved. May all of us be prosperous all the days of our lives.” (11:13). The parting words of Tobias to Sarah’s parents were, “May I honor you all the days of my life!” (10:14). Could one find a more peaceful and healthy beginning to in-law relationships?
Welcome Home for a Healing. As Raphael and Tobias, with Sarah trailing behind a bit, approached his parents at home in Ninevah, it was mother Anna who spotted them first coming down the road. She immediately embraced her son as only a mother could. While still outside the home, Tobias wasted no time in applying the miraculous fish bile onto his father’s eyes, and Tobit was immediately healed. “Raphael said to Tobias before he reached his father: ‘I am certain that his eyes will be opened. Smear the fish gall on them. This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and will draw a filmy white skin off his eyes; then your father will again be able to see the light of day!’… Tobias went up to his father Tobit with the fish gall in his hand, and holding him firmly, blew into hie eyes. ‘Take courage, father,’ he said. Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, left it there a while, and it made the father’s eyes sting. Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit’s eyes, Tobias used both hands to peel off the filmy white cataracts. When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around Tobias and wept. He exclaimed, ‘I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!” (11:7-8, 10-24).
The Miracle of Bile from the Fish Gallbladder. Gall from the fish is basically bile that has been stored in the gallbladder after the digestion process in the liver. It is digestive juice that breaks down the fat in the foods that are eaten. Gall contains highly potent toxins that directly attack unhealthy cells when applied to the eyes. It is a bitter poison when applied internally. It was commonly used as a healing ointment during the ancient eras of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and even on into the Greco-Roman era of the first century AD., so it must have been moderately effective. Believe it or not, recent medical research has discovered that fish bile can be an effective homeopathic treatment for eye inflammation and conjunctivitis, because its components are mostly steroidal detergents. In other words, eye inflammation can sometimes be treated with the bile’s inflammatory agents that dissolve the film on the eye that is causing the blindness. That’s the latest from the NIH. Who knew?
Grateful Praise. Tobit was overcome with thanksgiving, and his first words after his blindness was cured were in praise of God: “”Blessed be God and praised be His great name, and blessed be all his holy angels! May His holy name be praised throughout all the ages! Because it was He who scourged me, and it is He who had mercy on me! Behold, I now see my son Tobias!” (11:14-15). The story reports that Tobit went back into his home shouting, rejoicing and praising God at the top of his voice.
A Warm Welcome. Tobit then went to the city gate to meet Sarah as she arrived, and he greeted her with even more domestic bliss: “Welcome, my daughter! Blessed be our God for bringing you to us, daughter! Blessed are your father and your mother. Blessed is my son Tobias, and blessed are you, daughter! Welcome to your new home with blessing and joy. Come in, daughter!” (11:17).
(to be continued).