Damariscotta Baptist Church

 

 

James 5:13-20

We have come to the end of the book of James. Again, this was written as a letter to the dispersed Jewish believers of Jesus Christ who had fled Jerusalem due to persecution. James, the brother of Jesus, didn’t become a believer himself until after Jesus’ resurrection. However, when Peter decided to visit the dispersed churches James was chosen to become the leader of the home church in Jerusalem. 

Based on the content James has placed in this letter we can surmise that living in community with each other the way Jesus described believers should, in the Sermon on the Mount, wasn’t easy. In fact, based on personal experience, it hasn’t gotten any easier. Thank you God for grace and mercy. 

Knowing that life is difficult James put together twelve teachings to assist believers on how to demonstrate our wholehearted devotion to Jesus. Today we are reviewing the last two. 

The last two exhortations have to do with Christians taking care of one another. 

Is anyone suffering? 

PRAY

Is anyone cheerful?

SING

Is anyone sick?

CALL THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH,

And ask them to PRAY for their need

James has similar advice for those suffering as those who are cheerful – take time out with God. 

The Greek word “to sing” in this case refers to “public worship,” actually to sing together with accompanied music. 

Then notice what James says one should do if they are sick. James clearly puts the initiative on the person in need to contact the church elders and seek their prayer and support. Prior to visiting doctors and hospitals this may have been a popular practice, but generally there seems to be a hesitancy of people to ask for or seek prayer from leaders of the church. James even provides direction for the elders on how to go about assisting the sick. They should pray and anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord. 

Here is another case of knowing ancient Greek to give us a better understanding of this practice. 

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when I say “anoint with oil?” I don’t know about you but for me I see someone with a long beard having olive oil poured over his head which makes him covered with a slimy substance that is difficult to wash off. In this case, as well as in Mark 6:13 and Luke 10:34, this anointing is meant as a medicinal purpose. Therefore, many scholars interpret James as telling elders to pray and to also seek the best medical attention as possible. In James’ day, oil massages were considered medicinal. They happen to continue to help today.

Confusion was created when the Roman Catholic Church reinterpreted this command to anoint the sick into a “ “sacrament” of Extreme Unction and administered this to a person that was dying. So what James intended for healing became a preparation for death.  

This next set of verses is controversial at best. Many read these verses and believe that James guarantees healing for the sick who are prayed for in faith. Others interpret James as saying this guarantee will occur in our resurrection. Everyone agrees that the reference to sins being forgiven adds the idea of a spiritual work occurring along with a physical healing. 

Clearly, God doesn’t provide immediate healing for every prayer of faith. 

Bummer. 

But that should not keep us from lifting those who are sick up in prayer. 

When we do so we should pray with a humble confidence that God is able to heal them, then leave the matter in God’s hands. Which when we really think about it, being in the hands of God is the best place to be when you are sick. 

Unfortunately, many don’t pray to God for healing because they realize not every prayer for healing is answered in the affirmative. So, by not praying at all we somehow save God’s reputation or something, if the person is not healed. I think God is big enough and capable of handling His own reputation. 

Then as if James realizes we are all sick when we hang on to our sins he reminds us that mutual confession and prayer brings healing, both physically and spiritually. Yet we should read this within its context of those who are physically sick. Documented studies have demonstrated that inner turmoil can produce physical ailments. The confession of sin cleanses us from the inside out. But confession of sins doesn’t always cure us. Many times the one who is sick is the one being sinned against. 

The early church was small and chose to practice the confession of sins to the congregation. The Roman Catholics chose the confession before the priest method. James is putting the confession of sin out there as an essential command because sin will demand us to keep it to ourselves, isolated from others. Confession breaks the power sin has on the individual.

Confessing to one another is good, but in order to keep it good, it must be done with discretion. Otherwise, it can become really bad. 

James goes on to say that we should seek out those who we know to be righteous to pray for us. Not perfect, but those whose personal walk with Jesus is generally consistent with those principles Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount. James provides the example of Elijah. 

To be honest, Elijah seems like a pretty high standard to compare to, he managed to change the weather with effective prayer! What we should take away from this example is that Elijah’s heart was in tune with God’s heart. A direct translation of “He prayed earnestly” is “he prayed with prayer.” Focused, serious, intense and keen prayers from a righteous person offers us peace and should be given and received when needed. 

James then provides another situation where we need to reach out to restore others. Next he addresses those who “wander from the truth.”  James is talking about those who were once a part of the church, professed faith in Jesus Christ and have not deliberately turned away but because life happens they have gotten off track and for whatever reason are no longer following Jesus. James tells us to get involved. God often chooses sinful humans as instruments of change for other sinful humans. 

It’s not like God needs us to change the hearts of our brothers and sisters, but by stepping in and showing love and concern there is a blessing for both the one who returns and the one who loves them enough to reach out. This process brings God the glory. 

And so the letter of James ends. He concludes his letter with a fervent example of why he wrote the letter in the first place. James was a righteous man, who knew his own faults and recognized Jesus as the Messiah who had come to save him and the rest of creation. James challenged those who were following Jesus, as well as those who had wandered away from the faith, to not only hear the Word, but to do it. 

God is on a mission to make fractured people whole. This mission begins with seeing things from God’s perspective. Then putting that perspective into action. James wants to get into our business and challenge us on how we live. 

As sinful people who live in a sinful world, we often need to read the book of James to bring us back to God’s perspective. James is one of the books that demonstrates the truth that God’s Word is 

“sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.”

Hebrews 4:12

God’s Word doesn’t change, but we do. Hopefully we are changing to be more like Jesus. The reading of the book of James helps us to keep that goal in mind.