Morning Moments

JAMES Devotional Outline

V. Miscellaneous Messes 5:1-20
A. External Pressue 5:1-12
1. Treasure 5:1-3
2. Treatment 5:4-11
a. Exploitation 5:4
b. Existentialism 5:5-6
c. Exhortation 5:7-11
3. Truth 5:12
B. Internal Pressure 5:13-20
1. Condition 5:13-14a
2. Call 5:14b-15

It is not uncommon today for some believers to carry a little bottle of oil with them wherever they go for the purpose of anointing whomever they are "led" to anoint for any reason they deem necessary. BUT is that what these verses are teaching? Let me begin by asking a few obvious but often neglected questions.

1. Is this meant to be some kind of formula or ritual to follow for all healing?
2. If so, what is the place of the gifts of healings (plural in Scripture)?
3. Are these elders men only as in pastors of local churches as we know them?
4. If so, are these men to give sick women "rundowns" or "massages" which is what the text indicates?
5. Does the text not clearly state that the one who is sick is to "call for"? If so, does that indicate faith on the part of the person calling or does it indicate a need for confession on the part of the one calling?
6. Does the text indicate that the prayer of faith of the ones praying and anointing shall save the sick? If so, does the sick one need faith?
7. Does the context indicate that the one sick is sick due to the judgment of God (1 Cor 11:28+); "some are weak and sickly among you..."?
8. If this is a formula for the healing of the sick, why doesn't Paul emphasize this in his epistles, after all he wrote thirteen as the apostle to the Gentiles, and why did not Jesus use this procedure exclusively?

5:14b... 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Let me begin by saying that I will probably change no one's mind about this matter with the truth, but we will deal with the truth of the text. Allow me once again to state my position on Divine Healing: God can heal how He wills, when He wills, where He wills, with or without faith, and with or without a human instrument. There are NO set parameters for God's healing power for He is God, omnipotent!

I do believe in gifts of healings as taught in Scripture but not as practiced by most "faith healers". I do believe that the oil in our text is not used symbolically of the Holy Spirit, but for medicinal purposes. I do believe that the text makes it perfectly clear that this is no mere touching the forehead or cheeks with olive oil, but a rubdown or massage with oil perhaps mixed with herbs (text does not say mixture, so that's me).

I do believe that the term for elders here can mean elder men for men or elder women for women who are GODLY prayer warriors. I do believe that the "calling for" is an indication that there is a recognition on the part of the caller for "confession" and I think the context demands that.

Now let's look at the text itself and I think you might come to some of the same conclusions:

The word "sick" means without strength and is used of both physical (1 Tim 5:23) and spiritual strength (1 Cor 8:9). The sin and sickness do seemed to be linked in the context.

Obviously, the one calling is requesting that the "elders" come to where he/she is sick, not vice versa as in "healing meetings" today. So, they were private meetings and not public, which would enable one to be more open about what might be going on inside the heart.

When I was last in India, my feet began to swell to such an extent that I could not walk. There were three ladies on the trip with us and all three of the ladies took turns massaging my feet. It was a humbling experience and brought me great relief. I flew home in a wheel chair. It was God's way of getting me to a doctor who would place me in the hospital, thoroughly check me out and find cancer, among other things that needed treatment. In Christianity, men are to treat older women as their mothers and younger women as their sisters. Do that and God honors male/female relationships. To the pure all things are pure. It was the women who anointed Jesus for burial. Just a thought!

Remember this is done "In the Name of the Lord"! And remember these are not young folks doing this, they are elders - proven godly men and women, not dirty old men and women. Just being realistic here!

It was not at all uncommon for the rabbis to designate synagogue leaders to visit and anoint the sick.

The word "church" literally means "called out ones". The elders were from local assemblies to other members or participants of local assemblies. The calling was not random, but specific calling for designated leaders, recognized by the assembly to come to the sick for anointing and prayer. The emphasis in this passage is prayer (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). By the way, it doesn't say call for the deacons or call for the Sunday school class. It says elders.

There are several terms that are used for anointing in Scripture but the one used here is used for rubbing on medicine. Jesus made mud with dirt and spittle and rubbed it on the eyes of the bling man. So this is more than mere touching someone with a drop or two of olive oil. It was used in Matthew 6:17 in anointing oneself in preparation for daily activities and in Luke 7:38,46 in the anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman. It is also used in anointing the sick in several passages (Mk 6:13, Lk 10:34, and our text).

Why oil? When I was a boy, my mama use to think Caster Oil would cure everything. She knew that if I was faking, I would get well quick before having to take that stuff. Was there really any medicinal value in it? I don't know but she thought so. Is there any medicinal value in a bottle of olive oil today? I honestly do not know, but I do believe it is better internally that other oils, so I cook with it.

Here is the point! It was believed to have served many purposes in that day and was often mixed with herbs for rubbing or massages. Honestly, I wonder if James would say today, go to the pharmacy and get you some of that so and so rub. Maybe I am wrong, but I wonder if we do not place more emphasis on the oil than the prayer. IT IS THE PRAYER OF FAITH that saves the sick - not the oil. And the prayer of faith is made IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!

The Name of the Lord is not something merely to be tacked on to the end of a prayer. Rather it is the submission of all requests, all appeals, all petitions, and the ascribing of all praise to Him. It is a focus on the character of God! What we do, say, think, are all to be in submission to His authority and to His honor and glory.

Why was not the sick person to be brought before the assembly? Because it was a private matter and private matters should be kept private. That is why I believe this passage is so important IN context. There is entirely too much private matter made public in these days and it has become like the leaven in the church.

The word "save" here or "restore" simply means to make one whole whether physically or spiritually or both. So if this person is sick due to sin and confesses as context says to the Lord and to these elders, he is restored. The confession to the elders is therapeutic but it also is an acknowledgement or recognition of why the person was sick as we shall see in verse 16.

There is a pastor in our town who resigned because of "inappropriate" behavior or behavior not becoming a pastor. To this day no one knows anything that happened except the man himself, the lady toward whom he was inappropriate and the deacons of the church. It was private and it was kept private and the church moved on with little or no damage. If it had been aired publicly, sides would have been taken and the church would have split.

When we do things God's way, peace prevails!

BLESSINGS!