“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.”
Illness
People fall ill. Since Adam fell into sin at the beginning of human history and death was introduced into creation, humanity has been subject to weakness. From nowhere, sickness can blight our life. Yet the Bible makes a remarkable comment on the God we serve. “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26) Jesus is the healer.
This is what James teaches should happen if a believer falls ill.
What should a sick person do?
If a believer falls ill, they should call on their spiritual leaders and shepherds to pray for them and their recovery. In the Old Testament King Asa is cited as an example of someone who did not seek help from spiritual men when he fell ill. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.” (2 Chronicles 16:12) Asa was happy to go to the doctors, but he never sought prayer for his healing. Sadly, Asa is typical of many Christians in today’s world. What should the sick person do? Call for the elders of the church to pray over him.
What should the elders do?
Part of an elder’s role is to pray for those who are sick. In a farming context, a shepherd looks out for the wellbeing of his sheep and seeks to bring healing if one of them falls ill. Similarly, a spiritual pastor is constantly overseeing the wellbeing of his flock and seeks to pray for healing if one of them becomes ill. If someone in the church is sick, the elders should lay hands on that person and pray for them. That is what Jesus did. “The people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them” (Luke 4:40) The apostles similar things. “People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.” (Acts 5:15-16) Today the principle remains the same. What should the elders do? Pray for those who are ill.
What else should the elders do?
As well as praying the elders should anoint the sick person with oil. This is what shepherds did to bring healing to the sheep. “You anoint my head with oil.” (Psalm 23:5) Jesus sent the twelve apostles out in twos to preach in every village, to drive out demons and to heal the sick. “They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (Mark 6:12-13) The oil symbolises the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. When it was used by the apostles the people were healed. When it is used by the elders the sick person will be raised up. What else should the elders do? Anoint the ill person with oil in the name of the Lord.
We should have confidence in Jesus as our healer. If we want to receive healing we should do what James teaches us to do.
