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Lessons about healing from the epistles – James
The passage in James 5:14-15 provides the clearest instruction to Christians who are sick to be found in the New Testament:
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned he will be forgiven.
These verses clearly offer a high expectation of healing. In this chapter we’ll consider:
- the general context in which the verses are set
- the precise intention of the verses themselves
- reasons why healing may not result immediately.
The general context in which the verses are set
As we will see when we come to consider James 5:14-15 in more detail, it is quite clear that James intends us to understand that if a Christian who is sick calls for the elders of the church[1], and if the elders pray in faith, the sick Christian will be healed. However, to understand the full significance of these verses, it is important to consider first some of James’s earlier teaching. We begin by looking at a passage where, perhaps surprisingly, James talks about the uncertainty of life itself.
The Uncertainty of Life – James 4:13-16
The general sense of these verses is extremely clear. Because of the brevity of life we cannot be certain of tomorrow. Therefore in all our plans we should recognise that their fulfilment is entirely dependent on the Lord’s will. Verse 15 indicates that even the question of whether we shall be alive tomorrow is subject to the will of the Lord. Our life is just a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. This aspect of James’ teaching must not be disregarded when we seek to understand the statement in 5:15 that the prayer of faith will make the sick person well. Everything is subject to the will of the Lord.
The Last Days – James 5:1-9
In the first six verses of chapter 5, James condemns people who misuse wealth. He says that they have afflicted their employees (vv. 4-5) and killed the righteous (v. 6) and as a result misery is coming upon them (v. 1). This, together with the reference to the last days (v. 3), suggests that the day of judgement is in mind. This appears to be confirmed by the mention of the coming of the Lord (vv. 7 & 8), and the Judge who is standing at the door (v. 9). When we come to consider the passage about healing, therefore, we need to remember that the thought of the return of the Lord is very much in mind.
Patience in suffering – James 5: 7-12
In the last section James used the coming of the Lord as a threat to the wicked. But in this section he uses it to encourage Christians – James calls them brothers (v. 7). He tells them to be patient (vv. 7, 8, 10) until the Lord comes (vv. 7, 8). This appears to be because they are suffering (v. 10). But what sort of suffering is James talking about? Perhaps he is referring to suffering inflicted by the rich oppressors mentioned in verses 1-6. The use of the word then (which here means therefore) in verse 7 certainly suggests this.
However, it is interesting that James mentions Job as an example of suffering and patience (vv. 10-11). Bearing in mind the wide range of disasters – including sickness – that Job went through, it seems likely that James has in mind any form of suffering that may come our way as Christians. This should clearly be borne in mind when we consider the full significance of the passage on healing, to which we will turn shortly. Before doing so, however, we need to consider what James means by trouble when he says in verse 13, Is any one of you in trouble?
The meaning of Is any one of you in trouble? (v. 13)
The Greek word that James uses here is the verb kakopathein which literally means to suffer anything bad. This is also the word[2] that he uses in v. 10 when he talks about patience in the face of suffering. The use of the same word here seems to link the passage about patience in suffering with the passage containing the promise of healing. This confirms what we said in the last section, namely that sickness should be understood to be included in James’ use of suffering (kakopathia) rather than distinguished from it[3].
If this understanding is correct, then the promise of healing for the sick in verse 15 must be balanced by the teaching on patience until the coming of the Lord in verse 7-12. Verse 13 encourages any who are suffering to pray and any who are cheerful to sing praises. Verse 14 encourages any who are sick to call for the elders of the church to pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
But if we are right in saying that sickness is included in James’s understanding of suffering, we need to explain why James gives different instructions (i.e. to call for the elders to pray for you rather than pray for yourself) to those who are sick. The explanation for this is that James is probably referring to someone who is seriously sick, as will become clear as we turn now to the precise intention of the verses themselves.
The precise intention of the verses themselves
In this respect I suggest that four factors indicate that James has in mind here someone who is seriously ill. These are as follows:
- The sick person is to call for the eldersrather than go to This may well indicate the person is so ill that they are incapable of going.
- The eldersare to pray over This is the only time in the New Testament where the verb to pray is followed by the word over. It probably suggests that the elders are standing over the sick person as they pray, which may well indicate that he or she is lying down.
- Furthermore, the statement that the Lord will raise him up clearly implies that the sick person is lying down[4].
- Finally, the fact that they need the eldersto come and pray for them points to the possibility that the sick person is too ill to pray for him or herself.
So I conclude that the sick person James has in mind is seriously ill and that the exhortation to call for the elders for anointing and prayer should not be taken to apply to minor ailments. Thus, although sickness would be included within James’ understanding of suffering, some sickness is so serious that it makes people feel unable to pray for themselves, or at least of praying in faith[5], and that it is why they must call for the elders. Indeed, it is important to notice that the sick person in verses 14-15 is not required to exercise faith – only to call for the elders of the church. It is the elders’ responsibility to pray the prayer of faith and anoint the sick one with oil in the name of the Lord.
But what is the significance of the oil? Most commentators acknowledge that, although oil was frequently used for medicinal purposes, the context in James 5 demands that the oil be understood to be of some religious significance[6]. Indeed, even if James knew that oil was of some medicinal value, he would hardly have believed that it was a panacea for all illnesses! Besides, James tells us that it is the prayer, not the oil that will make the sick person well.
It is probably best, therefore, to concentrate on the word anoint rather than the word oil. In both the Old and New Testaments, anointing is associated closely with the work of the Spirit in healing (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18ff.) and it is therefore reasonable to understand the anointing with oil in James 5 to be symbolic of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. As such it might well quicken the faith of the sick person.
But anointing with oil and the prayer of faith are not the only things that James mentions in this passage. He talks about the confession of sins (vv. 15-16). The important thing to notice here is the word if – If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. We have already seen, from both the Old Testament and the New, that sickness may sometimes be the result of personal sin. We have also seen that very often it is not. James’s statement here is completely in harmony with this teaching. The sickness might have been caused by sin. If that is so, the sin should be confessed and then prayer offered for healing. But if the patient is unaware of any sin that might be hindering their healing, confession would clearly be inappropriate.
Reasons why healing may not occur immediately
The clear promise of verse 15 is that the sick person will be made well. But what if no immediate healing results? Careful examination of the passage suggests the following possibilities:
- The sickness has been caused by sinthat needs to be confessed
- The eldershave failed to pray in faith
- There needs to be more earnest and persistent prayer
- The healing will take place when the Lord returns.
We have already discussed (1) in the previous section. With regard to (2) the view that the elders have failed to pray in faith seems perfectly reasonable, especially in the light of James’s insistence earlier in the epistle that prayer must be in faith and that he who doubts will receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:5-8).
Another possibility is that (3) the healing, though not immediately manifested, will be gradual or delayed. James goes on to talk about the power of prayer in verses 16-18 and uses Elijah as an illustration. What is significant about Elijah is that he prayed earnestly (v. 17) and he prayed persistently (cf. 1 Kings 18:41-45 where he prays seven times until his prayer is answered). The reference to Elijah here, therefore, is almost certainly intended to imply that sometimes persistent prayer is needed for the sick to be healed. If we are sufficiently earnest we will be persistent.
Finally, with regard to (4), I have already indicated that the statement that the prayer of faith will make the sick person well (5:15) must be balanced by James’s statement that we only live if the Lord wills (4:15). As Christians our lives are in the hands of the Lord and, if he chooses, he may take us to be with himself at any time. In Part Two we will see how the ultimate healing takes place when Jesus comes again and our mortal bodies are clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). We have already noted that in James’s understanding the coming of the Lord was very near. It is, therefore, at least possible that when he says, the Lord will raise him up (v. 15), he has also in mind the fact of the final resurrection. This view is supported by the fact that the verb James uses in this connection is egeirein, the word that is also used in connection with resurrection.
Of course, James’s primary intention was undoubtedly to indicate that an immediate miracle of healing should be expected. However, it is possible that we may discern within his statement a secondary intention which, based on the earlier analogy with Job (James 5:8-11), suggests that if immediate healing is not the will of the Lord then the sick must be patient until the Lord’s coming at which time they will undoubtedly be ‘raised up’[7].
Indeed, as Moo has argued
….the days when God’s promises are to be fulfilled have begun, but a climax to that period is still expected. It is in the eschatological tension of the ‘already….. not yet’ that James’ ethics are to be understood[8].
If this understanding is correct, then the prayer of faith is not a prayer that insists that healing must be immediate but a prayer that commits the sick one to God knowing that his will is best[9] and that he can be trusted to ‘raise up’ the sick whether it be immediately by a miracle of healing or ultimately at the return of the Lord.
In short, although the passage indicates that the sick may expect to be healed, there is no guarantee that the healing will be immediate. The apparently clear promise of a miracle of healing must be tempered by James’ earlier teaching that prayer must be offered without doubting (1:6-8), that no-one can count on tomorrow but recognise that the length of life is as the Lord will (4:13-17), and that Christians must, like Job, be patient in suffering (5:10-11) for the coming of the Lord is at hand (5:8). Then healing is guaranteed!
[1] Church leaders are given a variety of titles today. Here James simply refers to them as elders. For more detailed explanation of the role of elders in the New Testament church, see:
Petts, D., Body Builders – Gifts to make God’s people grow, Mattersey, Mattersey Hall, 2002, pp. 71-88.
[2] In v. 10 he uses the noun kakopathia whereas in v. 13 it is the verb kakopathein. Both forms are part of the same Greek word group.
[3]Cf. Job 2:7 and passim.
[4]For discussion that in this passage a fair degree of illness is present, see Motyer, A., The Message of James, Leicester, IVP, 1985, pp.193-194.
[5]For James’ emphasis on the importance of praying in faith, cf. James 1:5-8. My suggestion that the patient might be so ill as to be unable to pray in faith is based on the psychologically debilitating effects produced by certain physical afflictions.
[6] Cf. Adamson, J., The Epistle of James, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1976, p. 197
Mitton, C.L., ‘The Epistle of James’, London, Marshalls, 1966. p. 199.
Moo D.J., ‘James’ Leicester, IVP, 1985, p. 178.
See also Shogren, G.S., ‘Will God Heal Us – A Re-examination of James 5:14-16a’, Evangelical Quarterly 61, (2, ‘89), pp. 99-108.
[7] One passage in Job is highly significant in this connection. In Job 19:25-27 he says:
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
[8]Moo, op. cit., p. 44.
[9]ibid p. 186.