Laying on Hands, Anointing with Oil

   The miraculous unction of Yahweh for spiritual and physical healing will always be enigmatic (a mystery). There have been literally thousands of books written on the subject of healing; I have several in my library. Although there is a supernatural gift of healing, healing also seems available in the context of the community of believers - gifted or not. The church holds one of the great keys to curing misery and disease. We as the church hold the keys to our own healing.

   There is a familiar passage of scripture that gives us an ancient Messianic formula for healing. That passage is James 5:13-18 - turn there now. The writer is the brother of Jesus. He was martyred in 62 A.D., which means that James is writing while the infant church of Jesus Christ was probably still meeting in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. This is significant because James' teaching on healing is the earliest that we have, and the method certainly practiced with great efficacy in the gathering of Jesus' first disciples.

 

Prayer and Praise as Lifestyle

James 5:13-18 (NIV) Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

   In the Christian lifestyle, hills and valleys are the norm. A Christian's devotional life should be one of ceaseless prayer and praise. In these few verses on healing, James refers to prayer seven times. "Prayer changes things" is an old motto, yet very true. We might augment this concept a little by saying "Prayer, and intangible asset, changes tangible assets." Or, "Prayer, a fourth-dimensional activity, changes three-dimensional reality." The fact is, however you try to explain it, prayer really works. If you are in trouble, take your worry time and pray instead. Then be still; listen for your answer.

   And speaking of fourth-dimensionality, we might say that for many believers, praise to Yahweh is the lost dimension in devotional life. Praise doesn’t mean simply saying thanks, nor does it mean merely enduring the ritual praise and read prayers of the church service. But real praise entails moving one's whole being into an attitude of sanctity and devotion to our Father in Heaven. It means moving from an attitude of "me" to an attitude of "Thou." It means throwing open the tent-flap and walking into the holy of holies with joy, reverence, and mystery. Learn to praise Yahweh the way Yahweh desires to be praised.

 

A Close Scrutiny of the Word

James 5:{14} 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.

   This verse is full of meat. Let's divide verse 14 into its seven sections for a close word study.

{14a} Is any one of you sick (asqhenei)?

The word translated "sick" literally means "without strength." This "weakness" covers a whole list of dysfunctions - illness, disease, fatigue, spiritual darkness, depression, resentment, hopelessness.

{14b} He should call (proskalsaqw)

The word translated "call" is a compound word that literally means, "call to [oneself]." For a weak person to call others together for prayer implies (1) a significant amount of faith and (2) no little effort.

{14c} the elders (presbuterouV)

The word translated "elders" is used as older in a spiritual sense rather than in age. Therefore such "elders" are those considered on the road to spiritual maturity through experience in spiritual matters. Church elders are not only the movers and shakers of the church, but the quiet and pensive faithful who have put our Lord and his Kingdom first in their lives. They know the power of Yahweh, and they know how to pray. They are righteous men and women. The waters of their spirituality "run deep." And their lives characterize the life of Christ. Consider (as we continue) who the elders of this church might be.

{14d} of the church (ekklesias)

The word translated "church" literally means "called out people." The church is a body of believers in Jesus bound by common worship, doctrine, and mission. The sufferer here is a person who is active in the life of the body of believers and who has come to know and trust the anointing of the elders to heal.

{14e} to pray over him

Prayer is not to be mere words. Prayer is spiritual exercise. The spiritual elders of the church are to assemble and seriously offer supplication over the weak person who has called them.  That’s what we try to do here as best we can.

   The famous preacher C. H. Spurgeon once said,

Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might.

This is the type of bold praying that the church elders are accustomed to practicing - continuously and with all their might. Church elders are men and women of prayer, and of ready action.

{14f} and anoint him with oil

The sufferer has the hands of the elders, which are wet with the consecrated oil, laid upon him or her. Anointing consists of both hands and oil.

   We find that the combination of laying on of hands and anointing with oil is the method Jesus himself used to heal the sick (Mark 6:5,13). He also commanded all his disciples to do likewise, and that, if they did, signs would follow them: they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover

(Mark 16:18).  The anointing oil symbolizes the direct and immediate work of the Holy Spirit - for it is the Spirit of Jesus that gives life.

   The oil is a symbolic element, like the bread and wine of our communion. It has sometimes been interpreted as a medical therapy - like the rubbing on of liniment or first-aid cream. But the oil's real value, like the bread and wine, lies in spiritual mystery - the oil is transformed (in a spiritual sense) into something powerful by the unction of the Holy Spirit and the faith of those human beings involved in its application. The oil also encourages greater faith, for it is a token that is seen and readily felt, and its application in faith results in healing that is not only spiritual but often physical.  Consecrated oil is a precious commodity; rare and fragrant, blessed by Yahweh as the catalyst of miracles.

{14g} in the name of the Lord.

By doing something seriously in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (like anointing with oil), one becomes the vicar of Christ on earth. By vicar I mean "one who is authorized to perform in the stead of another" (Doubleday). Wherever works are done in the name of the Jesus Christ or Yahshua Messiah, he is there and is doing the work through the vicar. There is great power in the name of Yahshua Moshiach, for it is to him that every knee must bow, in the heavenly realms, on earth, and also under the earth!

   Let's now go on to verse 15 and 16.

{15a} And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;

Literally this reads "and the prayer of faith will save the sick one." The elders who pray must pray believing that the one they are praying for will be healed. These elders have seen Yahweh do great things before, so they realize that Yahweh is active in the "now" as well as in the "then." Expectant faith in Yahweh’s ability through his Son is 9/10ths of any effective prayer.

{15b} the Lord will raise him up.

Once again, faith is of utmost importance. Sometimes healing comes immediately and other times over the course of time. Faith must not wane in the waiting stage. Something is always addressed in the prayer of healing, though we may never know exactly what.  Because the Lord is faithful, we must be faithful, and remain on his wavelength as he affects our healing.

When her husband died at the controls of his small plane while on the way to Statesboro, GA Janice Gravely kept the plane aloft for two hours until it ran out of fuel. She radioed for help:

"Help, help, won't someone help me? My pilot is unconscious. Won't somebody help me?" Authorities who picked up her distress signal were not able to reach her by radio because she kept changing channels. Mrs. Gravely finally made a rough landing and crawled for 45 minutes to a farmhouse for help.

How often do Christ's people cry out for healing and restoration, but switch channels before he comes through? They give lip service to our Lord then turn to other sources for help. Friends, when you cry out for Christ's healing, don't switch channels! The Lord will raise you up in due time!

   Indeed, our first reaction to illness is to call the doctor rather than to call the elders. They teach you in sociology classes today that, in our modern society, medical specialists have become our religious elders. The doctor's office or the hospital has become our church. The office call, the hypodermic syringe, and the pharmacy prescription have become the sacramental elements that encourage recovery rather than the consecrated oil, the laying on of hands and the prayer of faith.

I have many scars on my body from the cures of the medical trade, and our Lord has used modern medicine to save my life on one occasion. But I’m very concerned about our priorities as believers.

   Who or what is the source of healing, anyway? We should first and foremost believe that it our Lord who holds the power of healing and that he will be the primary source of our recovery rather than the medical trade. We the church are vested with the tools of holistic healing - body, mind, soul, spirit.  It’s not up to the preacher, according to the word.  It’s up to the elders.

 

Confession and Prayer

{15c} If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. {16} Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Forgiveness of sins is not just a fringe benefit of prayer. Confession of sins and absolution go hand-in-hand with healing and health. Confession works two ways in healing - the first has to do with contributing to our own ailment, the second with hindering our cure:

1. Many of our ailments are because of our own sins of indulgence. We eat too much or drink too much or smoke too much or worry too much. When someone has overindulged in one thing or another (which has led to the illness), one may at the time of healing be forgiven of past indulgences if such are confessed. But it would not be consistent with Christian faith to be forgiven and healed, but then heartily return to that overindulgence, or bad health habit, or sin that one was delivered from.

   For instance: one believer was diagnosed with emphysema. She came to the elders of the church in faith for healing prayer. She was very serious.  She confessed her sin of having overindulged in smoking cigarettes for years. Then the elders of the church prayed for her and healing flowed. After prayer and tears, she left the church for a few minutes to have a cigarette out on the back steps.  This behavior is hardly indicative of any faith.  However, sometimes Yahweh heals despite our faithlessness.  Many of us are not healed because of our own lusts. Nevertheless, many of us are healed because of our faith in Yahweh despite ourselves.

2. Perhaps even more important is the confession and absolution of resentments toward other brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus addresses those in the faith who hold resentments one against the other in his Sermon on the Mount. He tells us that

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift (Mat 5:23).

It is in this context that James commands us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. Before one's offering of anything can be pleasing to the Father, that one must make a clean breast of his or her resentments or animosities toward the other.

   I think my most vivid experience with this kind of confession came when I was invited to a foot washing service. I went into a room with the men in the church. Before anything else took place, each man in turn went to the others and asked the question face-to-face, "My brother, do you have anything ought against me." Sometimes the answer was "Yes," and all the men in the room witnessed the great inner cleansing that comes with reconciliation. In the solemn ritual of the foot washing service, through the confrontational nature of that most personal question, these men found absolution and healing before each other and before their G-d.

   This principle of confession applies to an ailing church, as well. Yahweh will not bless or prosper a church that is in the grips of resentment, hatred, negativity, or rebellion against spiritual authority. Every member must confess their part in these demonic activities, and be reconciled with one another before any healing can come.  Yahweh has given me to you, and you to me. Yahweh has given you that one across the aisle, whether you like him or not. And James concurs with this fact by calling us together as brothers and sisters of the Father in Heaven.

   God is not going to do for you that which you must do for yourselves. If you are guilty, you must, for the sake of all, confess, repent and be forgiven. Be honest with yourself and your neighbor. Prayer for healing of the individual or the church begins with confession, especially if we have contributed to our own ailment or have hindered our healing through resentment. It is for this reason that James sums up his section on healing by commanding those of us who are ill to confess our sins one to the other then pray in faith for our healing. Confession and absolution serve to make us righteous before God. For it is:

{16b} The prayer of a righteous man [that] is powerful and effective.

I like the familiar KJV translation - "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Herman Hoyt translates these words like this: "The prayer of a righteous man, which is energized in him, accomplishes much." 

   Although we believe all prayers are heard by the Father, those that are powerful and effect healing originate in righteousness before God. Righteousness means rightness in relationship to Yahweh. One can’t be righteous before Yahweh and be in a state of resentment toward others. That is why James commands us to call for the elders of the church - presuming that these elders are mature in their faith and walk, and thus righteous before both Yahweh and their fellow believers. Although Yahweh hears all prayers, those who walk in righteousness before Yahweh have the ability to pray in faith, knowing Yahshua is powerfully interceding for their requests. And Yahweh moves mightily as a response to the prayers of the righteous.

   The Bible teacher Kenneth Hagen once wrote that "if you have prayed seven times for something, you have prayed six times too many." This notion really flies in the face of our thinking about fervent prayer, yet in the case of the righteous, it is not a mere notion, but scriptural truth, as James demonstrates.

 

Taking Care

   James' words on anointing, prayer, and healing imply that such a spiritual endeavor must take time and careful consideration. Taking time and being thorough in prayer is called supplication.  It seems that the effectiveness of a church's ministry in this area corresponds directly to how seriously this passage, with all its nuances, is taken by all who are involved - the sufferer who is to be anointed, the righteous elders who must anoint and pray, and the congregation, which must confess and hear confession, be in faithful agreement, and learn from the experience. Much failure in this area comes from the hurried or partial carrying out of this most sacred, scriptural, and sacramental practice.

   The instructions are explicit. The issue of obedience is at stake. However we may feel about the practice of anointing the sick, we must remember that it is Father's method, having been conceived by divine revelation and recorded by the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Word of our god.  Serious believers like us just can’t ignore it.   And today I feel it would be appropriate to practice this most ancient rite of healing. We need confession and healing in this congregation perhaps like at no previous time. I need healing, and maybe you do. Let's devote the rest of this service to healing in the manner prescribed by our elder in the faith, James.