Scripture Notes: An Interruption (Tobit 2)

Tobit is just sitting down to a festive meal on Pentecost. Even though he is living in exile in Nineveh (after the ten northern tribes were deported by the Assyrians), he does his best to keep the Law and the feasts of his people. He has sent his son, Tobias, out to invite some poor person to the meal. There is more than enough for the family to eat, and Tobit is more than willing to share. But Tobias returns with shocking news: “Look, Father, one of our own people has been murdered and thrown into the market place, and now he lies there strangled” (Tob 2:3).

Tobit cannot abide by such a situation. He interrupts his meal, hurries out, and moves the body to a safe place, intending to return after the festival to bury it (he will not do the actual work of burial in violation of the Law, which mandates a certain rest on the holy day). Necessity calls, and Tobit answers. He knows that God will understand and approve his action of moving the poor dead person out of the way to a spot where nothing will molest the body. Tobit returns to his meal, but the joy of the day is gone, for now he is mourning the death of this murdered man. Later that evening, Tobit buries the body, even at the risk of his own life, for the Gentile rulers do not approve of such actions and have threatened Tobit for doing them.

Interruptions. More often than not, they tend to annoy us. We do not like to be drawn away from something we believe to be important. Yet God can and does work through these interruptions. They can be a message from Him and an opportunity to follow His will by doing good for someone else. Tobit knows this, and he does not hesitate to respond readily to a call. He sets himself and his preferences aside, discerning that the interruption is actually God’s voice. So the next time we are interrupted, we might think about Tobit and about how God can use an interruption, as irritating as it might seem, to draw us beyond ourselves into His love.