People Can Hurt

THE PROBE

When James asked, “Is anyone among you sick?” he chose a precise Greek word that literally means “without strength” or “to be weak.” Erroneously we often assume that James was referring only to physical sickness in these verses. This Greek word is extremely inclusive and can mean those weak in body, in soul, in mind, or in spirit. Interestingly, in the very next verse, when James said, “The prayer of faith will save the sick,” he used a different word for sick, a word that means “to grow weary.”

James was writing to those who had “grown weary” from the struggles of life, those who had been “scattered abroad” (James 1:1) in the dispersion. Having been forced to flee their jobs and homes, they were tempted to give out and give up. They were weary, and they were weak. Of course these verses can certainly apply to those with physical infirmities, but James was primarily addressing those people about to crack mentally and emotionally under the pressures of life, people who were weary and weak.

THE PROPOSAL

In such situations, James proposed, these individuals should “call for the elders of the church.” The sick often need someone strong in whom they can confide, upon whom they can lean, and from whom they can draw strength. Note that the initiative falls to the person who is sick. But anyone who has ever served as a pastor has heard the complaint “No one ever called or came to visit me when I was sick.” Again, in this passage, James was clear: the person who is sick is to take the initiative and call on the church to pray. When that request comes, then the elders are to perform their ministry of encouragement. As Paul exhorted, “Comfort the fainthearted [and] uphold the weak” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

THE PROCEDURE

Then, when a sick person calls, the elders are to “pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Now there are two very distinct words in Greek that we translate anoint. One refers to an outward anointing; literally, a “rubbing down with oil.” This word is found in Jesus’ story of the good Samaritan who bandaged the man’s wounds, pouring oil and wine into them to fight infection and help soothe the hurt (Luke 10:34). The other New Testament word that we translate anoint refers to the ceremonial anointing used in a sacred and symbolic sense. Jesus, for example, once explained that the Spirit “anointed” Him to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18).

Today, anointing the sick is most often done in this ceremonial sense. A drop or two of olive oil may be placed on a finger and touched on the forehead of the sick, often in the sign of the cross. While I have personally practiced this—and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so—it is not at all the procedure James was describing here. James used the word that instructs us to do what the good Samaritan did. When James told us to anoint the sick with oil, he was saying that we should do all we can medicinally to help the sick person. In other words, prayer is the first resort, not the last, and we are to use the best medicine and the best doctors we can find. The church should support the efforts of the medical community to bring healing, and the medical community should support the healing efforts of the church by recognizing the power and importance of a prayer of faith.

THE PRAYER

And what is this bedside “prayer of faith”? Earlier in his letter, James indicated that when we pray, we must believe. We must “ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

Furthermore, the prayer of faith must always be offered according to God’s will and His Word. But until we are parents, that concept of God saying no may be harder to understand. When Susie and I were raising our daughters, we didn’t always give them everything they asked for. Many times we knew what was best for them when they didn’t just like our heavenly Father knows what is best for us. Quite honestly, looking back over my life, I am extremely grateful God didn’t give me everything I’ve asked Him for! At times, my own personal preferences and prejudices clouded my thinking and definitely took precedence over His will for my life. When He did say no, I found out, time and again, that He had something better for me in mind.

In addition to submitting to God’s will, the prayer of faith must be grounded in the Word of God, or it is not the prayer of faith. After all, in the words of Paul, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

THE PROVISION

James wrote, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” This verse is not, however, a guarantee that God will always heal. That “will save” statement is wrapped in the mystery of God’s will and His ways. Consider that Paul once left Trophimus sick at Miletus instead of healing him (2 Timothy 4:20). Paul reported that Epaphroditus became ill and almost died (Philippians 2:25–30). Paul himself asked the Lord repeatedly to remove his own “thorn in the flesh.” He realized that was not God’s plan, but discovered that God’s grace was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:7, 9).

Physical healing is indeed a mystery wrapped in God’s perfect will. Some people say everyone can be healed, and that is true in the sense that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Yet God did not heal Paul even though he asked repeatedly. Other people say illness is the direct result of sin in one’s life, but some of God’s greatest saints have known some of the greatest suffering. Still others say that healing has to do with the sick person’s attitude, but no one had a more pitiful attitude than Naaman, who was healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:11–14).

Bottom line, all healing is divine. Medicine alone doesn’t heal. Doctors alone don’t heal. Proper diet alone doesn’t heal. Exercise alone doesn’t heal. God heals! His very name is Jehovah Rapha, “the God who heals.” May we always choose to trust the One who has our best interests at heart.