James 5:13-20 - Living with Real Wisdom
James 5:13-20 13Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17Elijah was a human like us, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.18Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth yielded its harvest.19My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;20you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
About the book of James: James is one of the most controversial books in the NT and was one of the last to be included in the canon of Scripture. Tradition ascribes the authorship to the brother of Jesus. It is written in the style of the OT wisdom literature and may have been a series of sermons that was edited into a literary letter. In James there is no mention of the Holy Spirit, the redeeming work of Christ or the resurrection. The name of Jesus is only mentioned twice. Martin Luther argued vehemently against its inclusion in the Bible calling it a “book of straw.” Mercifully he did not prevail! James is not a ‘missionary’ book. The author is not trying to convert anyone. It is an in-house document designed to help Christians make decisions about their behavior that will result in a transformed character, transformed relationships and a transformed world. When reading James, it is important to remember that it is written in a revolutionary style. It is written to be viewed from the bottom to the top. It is a work that comes out of poverty and critiques power. And it is about what internal spiritual, and external behavioral qualities must be claimed to live rightly in the midst of challenge.
The Situation in Jerusalem: The church in Jerusalem was made up of a series of small house churches, or Christian synagogues, ranging in membership from about 20-60 persons. They met for worship and teaching modeled on synagogue worship. They observed the Jewish festivals and many still attended Temple services. The church was directed by one or more elders presided over by James. Deacons were appointed to collect charitable contributions and distribute the proceeds to the poorest members. Many were very poor. The rich didn’t want to be associated with them or any religion of which they were a part. In addition, Jerusalem was in the midst of bad economic times due to famines and a corrupt political environment. People were in dire straits. Those who were well off were afraid of becoming less well-off and looking for others to blame for their fears and insecurity. People who were poor were afraid of never having what they needed and looked at the wealthy with both envy and disdain. How is a Christian to live in times like those? We want the answer to that question ourselves!
Themes in James: James is a challengingly contemporary work. The major themes are relationship between wealth and poverty, the nature of wisdom, relationship with the ‘world’, the relationship between doing and being, and the dilemma of trials. Today’s lesson brings James’ argument to a close with final practical advice for how to live in a holy way together in order to be an effective witness to the radically upside-down reign of Christ. Verses 13-18 revolve around the theme of prayer. In verses 19-20, James summarizes his letter and states his purpose.
Word Study
Vs. 13 – suffering – This word is translated in a number of ways. It can refer to general trouble or to some kind of affliction. If you read the whole of the book of James you will notice that he refers to a whole host of ‘troubles’ afflicting his churches. He lists favoritism (2:1-4), exploitation and litigation (2:5-7), lack of the basic necessities of life (2:15), slander and harmful speech (3:9-12;4:11-12), community disharmony (3:13-4:3. He also alludes to persecution of the prophets and the physical, mental and spiritual suffering of Job. So, all that can cause suffering in a community is included in this word.
Pray – this is to be the believers first response to any challenge.
Happy – James realizes that even in challenging times God offer consolations of joy. When that happens, he realizes that singing should be the immediate response. Singing has a way of connecting with the soul that is more direct than mere speech. We may not remember any sermon we have ever heard but we remember the joy of singing hymns.
Sing – The Christian church has long been noted for its singing. In his letter to the Roman emperor Trajan describing the Chrisitan sect, Pliny the governor of Bithynia wrote “that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as God.” This is what we now know as antiphonal singing.
Vs. 14 – sick – This word is a general word for sickness of body or mind. It is also used for extreme weariness.
Call the elders – James believed that illness should be dealt with within the Christian community, not hidden or shunted to the side of community life. Leaders in the church are to cultivate a deepened spiritual awareness so that when those are sick they man go to their sides to pray for them and anoint them.
Anoint with oil – When Jews were sick they first went to the Rabbi to be anointed with oil. Oil was used not only for ritual purposes but also for cleaning wounds, for paralysis and for toothaches. James here is referring to the oil as being a conduit and accompaniment for healing prayer.
Vs. 15 – prayer of faith – Faith refers to the radical trust in the goodness and saving power of God. It is not really doctrinal. Rather it grows in power as it is exercised by trusting in God, no matter the circumstance, to do what is for the highest good. Notice that is the faith of the elders that is the channel of God’s power. The faith of the sufferer is not mentioned.
Save – this word, the same one we generally translate as saved is much broader than the way we often use it to talk about eternal salvation. It means to be made completely whole here and now and forever.
The Lord shall raise them up – This phrase makes clear that the source of the healing is not the oil. It is God that heals and elders prayers and anointing are avenues through which God works to heal.
Righteous – this word refers to that which is expected by the one that sets the rules.
Vs. 16 – confess – This is such a beautiful concept. It means to agree together with God and one’s conscience and then to speak intelligently. It is all about professing the real truth of what one wrestles out with God about one’s motives and behaviors.
Sins – refers to anything that leads one to miss the true mark and goal of one’s life. It is about the consequences of a skewed aim and a false target. Traditional Judaism maintained that there was a connection between sin and illness. Though James does not teach an inevitable connection between sin and illness, he does seem to believe that at times that can be a factor.
Effective – This word means to be active and prove oneself strong. It denotes a kind of powerful inspiration, especially in prayer.
Vs. 17 – Elijah – The stories to which James refers hear do not refer to Elijah praying specifically. However, pray seemed to be the stance of his life and he brought that with him into every situation. (1 Kings 17 and 18.)
A human like us – Here James may be making reference to Elijah’s whole journey. He was not some kind of super hero. He knew depression and despair and doubt just as the Christians in James’ church did. And yet he was powerfully used by God. His point is that all Christians can pray in this way, not just the special holy ones.
Vs. 18 -The earth yielded its harvest – Earlier in this chapter James has talked about the things necessary to produce a crop, such as rain, being out of people’s control. But now he reminds us that that is not the whole story. Yes, God controls the rain and Christians can pray for rain. He is implying here that it is appropriate in the same way to pray for a resolution to all of our troubles.
Vs. 19 – wanders – This word can also be translated as strays. James is not speaking about doctrinal wandering he. He is speaking about ethical and moral wandering. Throughout James, theology is a lived thing. People know what others believe not by what they say but by what they do. So he essentially restates the purpose of his letter: to help people return to a right way of living within the fold of the church.
Truth – This powerful word is an action word. It means the good, the proper, the unveiled reality. Truth is not an intellectual exercise alone. It is something that must be done and not just declared.
Vs. 20 – brings back – turns back. This word can also be translated converts.
Cover a multitude of sins – The word we translate as cover is interesting. It is the word for to wrap around something like the bark of a tree on the skin on the body and means to cover completely. It also sometimes means to unveil or reveal, and other times refers to revelation.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- In what ways do you struggle most to put your faith into action?
- Think today about your prayer life. Does it need deepening? Do you pray in faith for yourself and others?
- Have you ever called for the elders to pray with you? What was that like?