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Introduction: One of the great
aspects of Christianity is God’s permission to us to grow. Part
of that growth is restudying issues and reanswering questions that
you may have thought you put to bed years ago. Sometimes you will
find that the answers you have accepted in the past don’t always
fit and through study the picture becomes clearer. That is what
has happened with me regarding the question we will answer in
tonight’s lesson. Based on James
5:14, some ask, “Should we anoint people with oil
today?” For years I read this passage in a particular light.
Then through further study, I believe I have gained a greater
understanding, which I would like to share with you. As with all
of the Question and Answer sermons (and all sermons in general), I
recognize I could be mistaken. If you think I have missed
something or misunderstood something, feel free to let me know.
Let’s get together and study to help one another grow. Discussion: I.
Why don’t
we anoint people with oil? My answer years ago and why it is not
my answer today. A.
James
5:14
talks about one of two ways to heal physical illness: miraculously
or medicinally. 1.
In Mark
6:13, the disciples miraculously healed the sick,
anointing them with oil. If James is talking about this, he was
regulating a practice restricted to the time when God distributed
miraculous gifts. We do not anoint people with oil because we do
not have these gifts. 2.
In Luke
10:34, we read of the Good Samaritan pouring oil into the
wounds of the beaten Jew. Anointing a sick person with oil was a
medicinal treatment during those primitive times. Since our modern
medicine has advanced past this primitive anointing with oil, our
elders would fulfill this passage, not by anointing our sick
brethren with oil, but by seeing to it that our sick brethren are
able to receive the medical care they need. B.
But we are
not discussing this question years ago. And my struggles with
these views have become too great to allow me to hold on to them
and be comfortable with myself.
1.
I struggled
with the miraculous view because it supposes that elders in every
church had miraculous gifts of healing. However, I
Corinthians 12:7-11 gives no indication that the
miraculous gift of healing was given to all elders. Since
miraculous gifts were granted by the laying on of the apostles’
hands, how would those elders appointed by Titus (Titus
1:5) have this gift? Therefore, I leaned toward the
medicinal view. However … 2.
I struggled
with the medicinal view because of vs.
15. That passage says that the prayer of faith will
save the sick and the Lord will raise him. It does not say
the Lord might. It does not say if the Lord wills. It does not say
only the Lord can. Further the example of Elijah’s prayer in vss.
17-18 heightens this idea of consistent success. Yet we
know that sick people die, even when they and others have prayed.
That is the world in which we live. Considering this, I leaned
toward the miraculous view. But my struggle with that view
resurfaced and I started an endless circle between one view and
another. Additionally … 3.
I struggled
with the view that it is talking about overcoming physical
sickness at all, because it does not line up with other Bible
texts that mention the sick. Why did Paul tell Timothy to drink a
little wine for his stomach’s sake and his frequent illnesses,
when the better advice was to call the elders to pray and anoint
him with oil (I
Timothy 5:23)? Why was Trophimus left sick at Miletus, if
he could call for the elders to pray for him, anointing him with
oil and he would be healed (II
Timothy 4:20)? Why was Paul the least bit concerned about
Epaphroditus, if all he needed was to obey James
5:14 (Philippians
2:25-30)? So now I lean toward a completely different
view. II.
I believe James
5:14 is about spiritual weakness not physical illness.
Note the following reasons. A.
The term
translated “sick” is “astheneo,” which means to be weak,
feeble or lacking strength. While it is used in the New Testament
to refer to the enfeebled condition of physical sickness, it is
equally used to describe spiritual weakness (Romans
4:19; 14:21; II Corinthians 11:29; et.
al.) How would we view the passage if it asked, “Is any
among you weak?” B.
If James is
referring to spiritual weakness, the passage is more consistent
with vs.
16 which clearly deals with spiritual sickness. The reader
does not have to search for some shift to make sense of the
verses, but rather they complement each other. C.
If the
person is not healed, the obvious fear that goes along with being
sick is that he will die. James wants his readers to avoid death.
But the death about which he has been concerned has been spiritual
death (James
1:14-15; 5:20). It is natural to believe that this illness
is spiritual. D.
The concept
of spiritual weakness fits better in the greater context of the
book. Note how the book begins, “To the twelve tribes which are
scattered abroad: My brethren count it all joy when you fall into
various trials” (James
1:1-2). James
is written to people facing obstacles, hardships, difficulties and
oppression. This is James’ advice for responding to that.
Consistent with the theme, James
5:1-12 is clearly about responding to difficulties. Then,
beginning in James
5:13, he asks three questions. The first two clearly
follow in this same vein. “Is anyone among you suffering?” Of
course they were. What should they do if they are suffering? They
should pray (Philippians
4:6; I Peter 5:7). “Is anyone among you cheerful?” How
could they be cheerful in this state? They were cheerful because
they had followed James’ advice at the beginning of the book to
“count it all joy” (1:2).
What were these cheerful ones to do? They were to be like Paul and
Silas in Acts
16:25 and sing psalms to God. The third question does not
shift to talk about something completely different. Rather, it
continues to ask about responding to hardship and trials. Not all
of the brethren would pray when they were suffering and become
cheerful. Some of them would be challenged, becoming discouraged
and weak. Naturally, James wanted to tell these people how to
overcome spiritual weakness and discouragement. Physical illness
was really a slight matter compared to the real need of helping
those who were slipping spiritually, which was the whole point of
the book. E.
When you
look at this book as a unified whole, you begin to see that James
makes parallel statements at the beginning and end of this letter.
Praying for God to increase spiritual strength maintains the
parallelism. Note the following parallel passages: 1.
James
1:2
says to count it all joy. James
5:13 asks if anyone is cheerful. 2.
James
1:2-3
speaks of trials and patience. James
5:10 talks about suffering and patience. 3.
James
1:11
talks about judgment on the rich. So does James
5:1-3. 4.
James
1:12
speaks of the blessedness of endurance. So does James
5:11. 5.
James
1:12
tells of God’s rewards on those who endure. So does James
5:11. 6.
James
1:13
says not to blame sin on God. Instead, James
5:16 says to confess it. 7.
James
1:14-15
tells us sin causes death. James
5:19-20 tells how to overcome them both. 8.
James
1:26
tells us to bridle our tongues. James
5:9, 12 gives examples of this. 9.
James
1:5-6
encourages those who lack wisdom to pray a prayer of faith to God.
Just so James
5:14-15 tells those who lack strength to pray a prayer of
faith to God. F.
If James is
speaking of spiritual weakness, then the struggles I mentioned
earlier are removed. Any elder, despite his spiritual gifts or
lack thereof, can pray for someone to be healed spiritually.
Additionally, when the weak Christian turns to his brethren for
help and prays a prayer of faith, the Lord will strengthen him
100% of the time. Finally, the advice in this verse to overcome
spiritual illness is completely consistent with every other Bible
passage. G.
Finally,
this view makes more sense out of Elijah’s example found in James
5:17-18. Elijah was facing hardships and trials during the
reign of wicked king Ahab. He prayed to God for help in this time
and God granted his request, stopping the rain but also providing
Elijah with the strength and sustenance he needed to make it
through the difficult times. III.
But what
about anointing with oil? How does that fit in this picture? A.
The
anointing with oil is part of the picture that James presents.
Just as he uses the physical concepts of sickness, death, healing
and raising up to describe a spiritual state, he uses the picture
of anointing with oil to describe the spiritual medicine that
elders will supply as they strengthen those who have called them
for help. B.
Along with
the numerous allusions in this book to the Old Testament, I
believe we find one in this passage as it talks about being healed
spiritually and covering a multitude of sin. In Jeremiah
30:12-17, God speaks to Judah. Because of her multitude of
sins, she had no one to apply healing medicines or to help
strengthen her. However, God would heal her. This is a picture of
a spiritual problem and the spiritual prescription, but it is
described as a physical illness, with physical medicine. Just so,
James provides a similar picture for the weak Christian. While we
are like Israel in that we need God to raise us up and heal us of
our infirmities, making us whole, strengthening us, we are unlike
Israel in that we have friends who can help us. We have brethren
who can apply healing medicines and anoint us with oil,
strengthening our souls. C.
The command,
therefore, is not to pour oil on anyone’s head, an action that
would provide no benefit or spiritual strength. The point is that
when a brother is weak, he should call on the elders and they
should strengthen him. To make this passage about pouring oil on
someone’s head is to miss the point. That view reduces this
passage down to something pointless and robs this passage of its
strength. The point of this passage gives great help in time of
distress and discouragement. Pouring oil on someone’s head does
not. IV.
What do we
do if we are spiritually weak? A.
We have
demonstrated that James is not talking about physical sickness but
spiritual weakness. We have demonstrated that James is not
prescribing pouring oil on someone’s head but rather
figuratively demonstrating that the elders’ job is to strengthen
the weak, applying the spiritual medicines needed. If we stop
here, then our look at this passage was really pointless. No
doubt, we understand it better. Yes, we can defend against those
who would misuse this passage. But we have nothing that we can
really take with us to help us face the hardships, trials and
difficulties. So, what are the lessons we learn from this passage
to help strengthen the weak? B.
When you see
yourself slipping into weakness and discouragement, do not think
it will fix itself. Do not wait for someone else to notice. Do not
isolate yourself from your brethren. Call the elders to pray with
you immediately (vs.
14). Call them to strengthen you and provide a spiritual
regimen that will help you count it all joy. Notice the
responsibility here; you are to do the calling. C.
Your prayers
with the elders must be ones of faith (vs.
15). That is, they must follow the teaching James gave in James
2:14-17. Your prayer does no good if you are not willing
to follow it up with action. D.
Of course,
if your spiritual weakness and discouragement has led you to sin,
then you need to seek forgiveness as you pray (vs.
15). God will forgive if you ask Him (I
John 1:9). E.
While the
first admonition was to call for the elders, the exhortation to
strengthen the weak is actually given to all of us. If we are
going to overcome weakness, we need to confess our transgressions
to one another (vs.
16). We should not hide them from one another, all that
does is breed more weakness and lead to more sin. This is not
about “coming forward,” but about us working with one another
individually. The fact is, until we open up to one another about
our struggles, weaknesses and sins, we will always fall in the
face of them, because we will be facing them alone. As soon as we
allow our brethren to start applying the healing medicines, God
will heal our wounds and raise us up, strengthening us. F.
When you
pray with the weak, your prayer must also be one of faith (vs.
15). That is, to paraphrase James in 2:15-16,
“If a brother or sister is weak and discouraged and one of you
prays for them, ‘God of peace, provide them with strength and
encouragement,” but you do not give them the things which are
needed for their spirit, what does it profit?” Too often we say
a prayer and then tell our brethren to call us when they need us.
Then we go on our way leaving them still spiritually beaten,
battered, wounded and weak. Don’t just say a prayer, do
something! G.
Finally, be
on the lookout for your brethren. We need to see if they are being
drawn away by sin. If they are, then we must turn them back (vss.
19-20). Do not allow them to continue in sin, to do so
would be like holding the cure for cancer but never giving it to
your friend who is dying with it. When you turn them back, you
have anointed them with oil and saved them from death. Conclusion: As Hebrews 12:12-13 says, we must strengthen the weak and help the lame to heal. Do you have weakness and sin in your life? Then do something about it today. Call the elders to let them know about the problem and get their prayers and help. Talk to your brethren, confessing your sins to one another and praying with one another. Pray to God for strength and forgiveness. Do not follow the path of discouragement, weakness, sin and death. Rather, resist the devil, cleanse your hearts, purify your minds, humble yourselves before God and your brethren.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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