Here we see the conclusion of the Book of Tobit, which can be viewed as a didactic novel. We can identify the following moments: 1. Father and son agree to reward their companion with half of the goods they brought back from their journey. 2. Raphael calls them aside and invites them to bless God and publicly share the blessings they have received. 3. The central part of the angel’s speech offers a wise exhortation on the three pillars of a pious life, as understood by late Judaism: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. 4. Raphael explains that human life exists on two levels: this physical appearance, which the senses can perceive, unfolds here on earth and seems to be nothing more than a mechanical chain of causes and effects without any transcendence. Behind this visible level lies another of transcendental and divine importance; human words and actions do not disappear without a trace, swallowed by time, but are recorded in God’s presence. 5. A renewed call to proclaim God’s wonders, even in writing, and the angel’s departure.
Despite the extraordinary and miraculous interventions of the angel during the journey, and upon their return to Tobit’s home, the father and son had not fully understood his supernatural nature. This is divine pedagogy. It exists in the world, in things, and in people’s words and actions, but it is a quiet and subtle presence; only faith can reveal it. The father and son kept believing that Raphael was a relative of the tribe of Naphtali and wanted to compensate him accordingly. God’s action indeed unfolds in a mysterious and silent atmosphere. Raphael knew how to adapt perfectly to this divine pedagogy and carried out his mission with total naturalness.