There is a phrase we often use in our culture – we saved the best for last. I don’t know if the last part of James 5 is the BEST section because it is hard to measure that quantifiably. But one I can say for certain is that it is no doubt one of the most debated sections of the book of James and it is also the section that so much discouragement has been connected to. And I believe that discouragement has been misguided. Let me prove that to you really quickly and show you not only how relevant this passage is, but how harmful a misunderstanding of it can be. If you have ever prayed really hard for someone not to die and they died anyway, would you raise your hand up? All of us.
And somewhere along the way, either directly through a church you have been a part of, or indirectly through conversations about faith, you have been exposed to the idea that one of the reasons that God did not heal that person is because we simply did not have enough faith. That somehow the potential for healing is in direct proportion to the amount of faith exercised by those who are praying for the sick person. Several years ago, there was a local gymnastics teacher that taught several of one of our pastor’s children. And following a terrible accident in which he was paralyzed, his family set up a Facebook page that was titled, “More Faith, More Healing.”
Sadly, this young man never recovered from his paralysis…and the only thing to conclude with that theological framework is that there was spiritual failure to fully exercise the amount of faith necessary that would move the arm of God to heal. I don’t know about you, but that feels like a tremendous amount of guilt heaped on top of a terribly sad situation. So where do people pick up that teaching? James 5 is not the ONLY place, but it is certainly the most PROMINENT place…so turn there with me this morning.
Today’s text is a passage that many would-be healers and advocates of modern-day healing use to push the idea that we have a guaranteed healing if we pray under the proper circumstances. So with that thought in mind, let’s look at this text together in a message titled Prayer—God’s Prescription for Persecution
James 1:13-18
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
While there are certainly a lot of questions connected to this passage, there is no question about what this passage is about. Prayer is mentioned seven times in these verses. But that does not negate the other questions that are fair questions to ask of this text. When he talks about suffering in verse 13, what kind of suffering is he referring to? When he talks about sickness in verse 14, what kind of sickness does he have in mind? And what is it that the elders of the church have to offer in their prayers that other people don’t? Do they have a special access path to God? And what is this anointing, and why oil?
And the questions don’t end there. Does the prayer of faith always restore the one who is sick and allow the Lord to raise him up? And what does sin have to do with it? And what kind of healing is he talking about in verse 16? You see, we know that prayer, not healing, is the focus of this passage. That’s obvious by the repeated use of it. But let’s back up even further and look at this passage against the backdrop of the entire book of James.
In looking at the context of the entire epistle and specifically chapter 5, we know that these believers were suffering because of persecution from other people. Let me quickly break down chapter 5 for you. Verses 1-6 deals with suffering brought about through persecution from ungodly people. Verses 7-11 is an exhortation to be patient and faithful while the persecution is going on. And verses 13-18 provide the prescription on how to be strengthened when you are weak from suffering through persecution…that’s how the passage lays out.
So now, let’s let the text speak for itself by answering the most obvious questions that arise from the text…
1. WHO IS THE PATIENT? – vs. 13-14
If James is writing out a prescription on how to be strengthened when suffering through persecution, we need to determine who the patient is. Are these people who are suffering physically, or people who are suffering spiritually and emotionally? The greatest challenge we have in interpreting this passage is laying all of our presuppositions aside and letting the text speak for itself. And one of the keys of letting the text speak for itself is realizing that context speaks the loudest and clearest.
Knowing the context of chapter 5, is this passage addressing people who are being persecuted or is it addressing people who have physical, genetic diseases? If we have contextual integrity, then the answer is incredibly obvious, it is dealing with people who were being persecuted. It makes no sense at all that he starts out chapter one with people who are enduring trials and ends the book by opening up chapter 5 addressing people suffering through persecution and then at the very end of the book puts a random text in here dealing with the physical healing of disease. So back to the question, Who is the patient? Is it someone who is struggling spiritually/emotionally or is it someone who is struggling physically? The answer is yes. Does that clear it up for you? Before you revolt and start accusing me of trying to straddle the fence to please everyone, let me explain.
The patient is:
• Those physically, spiritually or emotionally weakened by suffering
I don’t want to misquoted so let me give some explanation. I absolutely do not believe in faith healers, but I absolutely believe in a God who can heal disease. It is impossible to claim that God is omnipotent, or all-powerful, and at the same time believe that God does not have the power to heal disease. Being all powerful and being incapable of doing something at the same time, are mutually exclusive concepts.
But do I believe that signs and miracles are God’s primary tool of communication as it was during the apostolic age to unbelieving Jews—NO. We now have the full revelation of God through the Word. Do I believe that God still performs miracles—YES. What I am saying is that I do not believe this passage is a proof text for healing disease because that is not how they were physically suffering. Let me explain. This passage is addressing people who were suffering as a result of persecution. They were weak and weary and I believe this was taking place in the emotional and spiritual arena. But for us to say that it was dealing with genetic disease we would have to conclude that as a result of undergoing persecution some developed cancer. That doesn’t make sense.
Does it makes sense to say that as a result of persecution some of them became so emotionally drained that it actually made them physically weak—YES. Does it make sense that as a result of persecution that some of them would have been physically assaulted—YES. These are the people who were weak and weary and wounded from the battle of fighting against the persecution that was taking place by rich oppressors. This is addressed to the person who has simply lost the ability to persevere during the suffering that he just finished describing in verses 1-12.
This where the original language is really helpful. The Greek verb is astheneo. In English, we typically translate this word as “sick.” And as a result, everybody assumes that he’s talking about physical sickness. But in both of my Greek concordances and in all my study this week, the preferred meaning literally meant to “to be without strength” or “to be weakened.” Does it make sense that people who were trying to endure persecution would be weakened emotionally and possibly even physically—ABSOLUTELY.
So now that we have identified the patient, let’s see what the prescription is…
2. WHAT IS THE PRESCRIPTION? – vs. 14
James now describes an almost Old Testament-like procedure, one that was followed in the Jerusalem church when a “sick” person summoned the elders to his bedside. James lists three things that are to take place:
“Let him call for the elders of the church”
• Make the call
This is where the text parts ways with the methodology from the modern-day faith healer movement. Look at how it is supposed to work. Who does the initiating? It’s the one who is suffering. There is no setting up of a crusade and inviting people come to a large public event and asking people to come to you. The AFFLICTED are the ones reaching out, not the marketing department of the faith healers. The word “call” here literally means to come along side of you. And what do you do when you’re weak and they come along side of you?
• Ask them to pray
Why do we need elders/pastors to pray? Why can’t we just pray ourselves? Once Christ ascended to the throne he became our High Priest so why don’t we just pray ourselves? Remember the context – these are people who are weak and weary from suffering. These are wounded soldiers from the battle of persecution. So when you are weak, and defeated you can get in such a dark place that you can’t even summon the spiritual energy to pray. So you call on someone of spiritual substance, someone with the spiritual maturity and required character of a pastor/elder, and ask them to intercede for you. This is exactly why being part of the corporate body of Christ is so important.
But not only is there prayer, there is a strange call to…
• Anoint with oil
There is some debate about the purpose of the oil. Was it medicinal? Was it sacramental like a priest anoints someone with oil before they die? Was is symbolic? If the purpose is healing, using the oil sacramentally before death is the exactly opposite. If it was medicinal, it doesn’t make sense that the elders are called upon to administer it, although I don’t think it takes a high degree of medical training to administer the medicinal aspect of oil. We learn that from the good Samaritan would the man used oil as a salve for his wounds and wine as an antiseptic and bandaged him up. So we do have to make allowance that part of the prescription for oil here could be medicinal.
But I think the strongest case, especially in light of the fact that the elders are the ones who are called upon to administer the oil, is the reality that the oil is symbolic. There are so many symbols in Scripture. In baptism, water is symbolic of burial. In communion, juice is a symbol of blood. And all throughout Scripture, oil is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. To anoint someone was also the symbol of setting them apart for something special. Listen to one commentary, “In most of the Old Testament uses of the word ‘anoint,’ the word refers to the consecration of something.” These people were being set apart as those who needed special attention and care from God.
So that’s the prescription…to call the elders, to ask them to pray, to anoint with oil…
3. WHAT IS THE PROGNOSIS? – vs. 15
Well, according to verse 15, two things happen. First…
• He will be restored
The word “save” is not talking about “getting saved” as we have come to know it in our culture. He is not describing “justification” here. Remember, he is writing to people who are already Christians. It has the meaning of to “deliver or rescue”. That makes sense – to help deliver or rescue them from their suffering. Sometimes it was physical strengthening, but primarily it was strengthening them spiritually by offering up the prayer of faith…to deliver them from the anguish that was taking place in the “inner man.” God will use that to spiritually strengthen the weakened one. That what is meant by “the Lord will raise him up” in verse 15. The Lord will strengthen the person who is emotionally and spiritually weak (even physically weak) from their suffering.
Do you see how this all fits together when we understand the context? Do you see how this fits together with the need for patience in suffering that verses 7-12 talked about last week? This is where preaching through a book of the Bible is incredibly helpful. It forces us to not interpret these verses (apart from their context) to get them to say whatever we want them to say.
Here is the summation of all that is taught in these verses. When you come to the point in your life where you’re so spiritually weak to the point that you don’t even have the strength to pray, because you have been experiencing suffering that could be outer man or inner man suffering, or both, go to the spiritually strong, the pastors/elders and leaders of the church and let godly men intercede on your behalf and anoint you with oil as a symbol of someone being set apart for needing care from the Lord. And the Lord will raise you up, or strengthen you in the inner man, as only he can.
One more quick item. This is something that gets misused contextually by those in the faith healing movement. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well – they didn’t get healed so they must have not had enough faith”? Talk about kicking someone when they’re down. “You have something wrong physically with you, and you also are a spiritual failure.”
This is so simple if people would just read the Bible. Look at verses 14-15 again. “Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” This blows the whole “if you would have had more faith God would have healed you from your sickness” argument to pieces. Who is offering up the prayer of faith? The elders or the weak person? IT’S THE ELDERS.
This is not even a passage about healing people with disease and genetic conditions, although God can do that, but even if it was – they still get it wrong because the healing is not related at all to the faith of the one needing healing. They are not even the ones who are offering up the prayer of faith, so the level of their faith is not in play in this passage.
We said two things happen in verse 15. He will be restored…and what else happens?
• He will be forgiven
The last part of verse 15 says, “if he’s committed sins, they’ll be forgiven him.” You see, this proves for sure that he’s not talking about disease because not all disease is related to sin. Jesus blew that out of the water when asked if it was his mother’s or father’s sin that made a person blind in John 9, and he said, “Neither.” So why does James bring up forgiveness then? Apparently, there were some people whose weakness was a direct result of sin. They may have grown weary emotionally under the persecution and in that weakened state they must have indulged in sin.
So James says, if in the case that your weariness and your spiritual defeat is a result of sin, in that environment of crying out to God and confessing your need, not only is there strength from the Lord available, there is forgiveness available as well.
After all of that happens, you then move on into a plan for maintenance….
4. CONTINUE TREATMENT AS NEEDED – vs. 16
Verse 16 is now addressing the entire congregation…and this is powerful. This is how the church is supposed to work and this is why you should be a member of a local church. Look at verse 16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James gives us two steps for continued strength…
• Be honest about your struggles while suffering
The old saying is true – you are only as sick as your secrets. Think about it – no one can pray for you to be strengthened if they don’t know you are struggling. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I have asked someone I have counseled, “Who else knows about this struggle?” and the answer is very often “no one.” It’s why we suggest everyone who comes through our Hope Counseling Center should have an advocate. The pastor or the counselor cannot be the only one who knows you are struggling because it is an impossible scope of care for them to walk with everyone they are counseling. The good news is this – that’s why God gave us the body of Christ. But you have to be willing to confess your sins and struggles.
The second step for continued strength is this…
• Embrace the power of prayer from righteous people
That phrase “has great power” literally means exactly what it says. But again, people need to know your struggling to take advantage of that great power through prayer.
How do we apply all this truth? First, realize that God’s primary way of strengthening you when you are weak is prayer. It’s not preaching, it’s not counseling, it’s not worship and it’s not fellowship. Nothing wrong with any of those, but prayer is the priority. When you get so defeated you can’t even pray, call on someone spiritually strong to pray for you. Second, although this is not a passage about healing disease, it certainly provides a precedent for praying for those are suffering physically and anointing with oil if they desire as a way of setting them apart as those needing special care from the Lord.
Lastly, we have to decide if we are going to be a part of this incredible thing called the church and participate in such a way where we really believe that anonymity is the enemy of discipleship because no one can pray for me when I am struggling if I chose to remain anonymous.
A young man and his new bride were out late at night returning from a party on some winding back roads. Not being familiar with the road, the young man didn’t realize that he was approaching a sharp curve at a high rate of speed. He lost control of the car, struck a tree, his wife was thrown from the car and he was knocked unconscious. After regaining consciousness, he quickly realized that his wife had been thrown from the car. Searching frantically he found her in a nearby ditch, barely clinging to life. He saw the lights ahead of a small village so he picked up his wife and carried her as fast as he could towards the lights.
When he got to the village the first building that he came to was a small building with a house next to it. The sign on the building said MEDICAL PRACTICE. He ran next door to the little house and beat on the door and an elderly man opened the door. Before he could say a word the young man asked, “Are you a doctor?” The old man said, “Yes.” Before the doctor could say another word, the young man told him about the accident and begged for his help. But the elderly doctor replied, “I’m sorry son. I no longer practice medicine. I retired and closed down the office next door 20 years ago.” Heartbroken, the man turned and raced into the night with his dying wife. When he was almost out of sight, he screamed back over his shoulder, “If you are no longer practicing, then take down the sign.”
Church, we need to make sure that we create a culture where hurting people can be strengthened and sin can be confessed because people are living in authentic community. Because if we are not willing to put these principles into practice, then we might as well go ahead and take down the sign out front. And let me share one final thought, really to wrap up this entire series. All of this is meant to bring glory to God. Jesus didn’t die to give us a faith that’s dead. He wants us to have an active, growing, vibrant faith that transforms our lives for the world to see. As we grow in all the ways James has encouraged us to grow, may the people around us see. May they ask why we are so different and may all of that lead to gospel conversations which will lead to people trusting Jesus for salvation.
