Books Jesus Read

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Books Jesus Read

In the apocryphal story of Tobit, readers follow the life of a pious Jew whose zeal for God’s law and boastful testimony make him a likely forerunner of Pharisees. 2 Thus, a careful reading of the book offers a unique opportunity for us to “visit with a Pharisee.” And, surely, the Bible speaks about Pharisees not that we may justify ourselves by comparison, but that we may look into the perfect “mirror of Scripture” and be changed (Jas 1:22–24). Tobit, moreover, explores the question of why bad things happen to good people, especially to God’s people, by telling a story about the sufferings of Tobit and Sarah as well as their healing and deliverance by God. The reader is first introduced to Tobit, whose faithfulness in burying the dead leads to his suffering blindness, and then to Sarah, whose affliction by a jealous demon keeps her from a happy marriage and childbearing. God answers their prayers by sending an angel to help them. Text This is the book of Tobit, son of Tobiel, the son of Hananiel son of Aduel, son of Gabael son of Raphael son of Raguel of the seed of Asael of the tribe of Naphtali. In the days of King Shalmaneser of the Assyrians, Tobit was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee.

2 While the Pharisees are first mentioned (by Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews , 13.10.5) in relation to the rule of John Hyrcanus (134–104 BC), the book of Tobit was likely written many years before.