Outward Wisdom

We come to the close of this series on the letter of James. You have seen by now the common themes which come up over and over again in this letter. The over arching motive for James is to call attention to the discrepancy between inner beliefs and outward actions. Throughout the five chapters we have been reading about the ways in which these outward actions show up in things like treating one another without favoritism, or shaping our words in such a way that the things we say out loud match with a heart of faith.

Today I want us to settle on a passage towards the end of the letter which takes up the subject of patience and perseverance in prayer. It is a subject that naturally flows into our rhythm of considerations because we just finished up a preaching series on prayer right before turning our attention to James. And because right now we have so many people in this church engaged in one of the Prayer Practice groups, this emphasis which James places on prayer at the close of his letter is worthy of our attention. And as if we needed another reason, this also happens to be the day when we have put together a prayer gathering opportunity for later this afternoon.

James connects his instructions on prayer with the themes of patience and persistence

All that to say, we as a church are embracing prayer as a central faith practice that is vital for the renewal of Christian community, and we would be remiss to just skip over this passage in James on the subject of prayer without giving it a closer look together. Notice in particular as we read this passage the way in which James connects his instructions on prayer with the themes of patience and persistence.

James 5:7–16 (NIV)

James 5:7–16 NIV

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

theme of patience and persistence in times of struggle or uncertainty that we see in the letter of James

Admittedly this is a passage which causes a certain amount of confusion around the tricky subject of healing prayer…and we’ll get to that. One of the reason why I think it tends to cause confusion is because so often the verses here in James which address prayer for healing are pulled out of context and we fail to look at the surrounding passage. We have the advantage of reading through the entire letter of James over the past weeks. So, let’s start with the set up: the theme of patience and persistence in times of struggle or uncertainty that we see in the letter of James.

James returns to summarize the same points at the end of the letter which he brought up at the beginning of the letter

We saw when we started this series all the way back in chapter 1 that James dives right in addressing the trials and struggles which the people in the church have been facing. All the way back there in chapter 1 James makes the case for perseverance. In fact, he started the letter by telling the people to be joyful whenever they face times of trial. It should not surprise us that James returns to summarize the same points at the end of the letter which he brought up at the beginning of the letter. But this time he puts some specific actions around it, prayer being only one of them. He also talks about singing with one another, calling upon one another, confession with one another. There is a sewing together of several themes taking place here at the end.

verse 12 — return to theme with a quick reminder of the words we choose to say

For example. Those few comments in verse 12 about swearing may appear at first glance as being a tangent which is out-of-place. However, when we remember that James has spent some considerable time elsewhere in this letter drawing attention to our speech and the kind of words we say out loud to one another, it should come as no surprise that James takes a moment to tie all these things up together here at the end with a quick reminder of the words we choose to say.

And surrounding all of it is the instruction again to be patient and persevere. It seems that James somehow knows the issues facing the people in the church of his time were not going to be resolved with a quick fix. There was no one-and-done solution happening even if everyone who heard this letter took it to heart and followed in obedience. Hardships were still going to happen and people were still going to face struggles. Life in a broken and sinful world still takes place and things like suffering and illness are still present among us.

Job, prophets — reminders that patience and perseverance are needed

It is for this reason that James—here at the end—points to someone like Job as an example of patience and perseverance. The point being, the people to whom James is writing are not alone in this. God’s people all throughout time have had to learn what it means to embrace patience and perseverance. Job and the Old Testament prophets line up here for James as proof of the necessity for this advice and wisdom James writes to the church.

our times of patience and perseverance remind us of God’s long-enduring love

But let’s be clear. Patience is not about just waiting. It is not the message of James to the church to just hang on and wait. There is intention and purpose at work behind those times when patience is required. If nothing else at all, times of patient perseverance should be experiences that remind us of the immense patience and perseverance of God. There is no way you and I can completely comprehend the thousands and thousands of years in which God chooses again and again to be patient with his people. It is this long-enduring patience of our God which displays for us the incredible depth of God’s love for us. The perseverance of God shows up in the life of Christ. The problem of our sin which kept us separated from God did not have a quick fix solution. There was no snap of the fingers and it could just all disappear. Or, I suppose to be more precise about it, if God were to choose the quick snap-of-the-finger fix for our sin, that solution would certainly be our quick and immediate destruction. Yet, because God chooses to continue loving his world with enduring mercy, the solution to our sin became for Jesus a long path of perseverance so that we could be redeemed and our relationship to God could be restored. Yes, if nothing else at all, our times of patient perseverance should turn our thoughts and attention in gratitude towards God’s far greater patience and perseverance.

patience and perseverance are not just about waiting — it is the workshop of the Holy Spirit for sanctification

And at the same time, in a very down-to-earth practical sense, patient perseverance also becomes a workshop for the Holy Spirit to be busy sanctifying the people of God. Our sanctification, which God uses to make us more holy, happens in those moments of patience and perseverance. It is most certainly not a time of just idly waiting. The Holy Spirit is hard at work in our hearts during those times. And it is the desire of James for the people of the church to recognize that work of God talking place in their lives. And what better way for people to be alert and aware of God’s presence and work in their lives than through the practice of prayer.

we are more aware of God’s sanctifying work in us when we pray

Notice the way James spreads prayer in several directions.

James 5:13–14 (NIV)

James 5:13–14 NIV

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Let’s bring that to God in prayer. Are you happy and full of joy? Let’s sing in praise—which, of course, is a form of prayer. Is anyone sick? Let’s call together a group of people to be in prayer. James is instructing that any and every situation we face in life is ideal for joining together with prayer. It is in prayer that God meets us in these times of patient perseverance. And it is in prayer that the Holy Spirit walks along with us and works within our hearts.

Greek astheno “sick” = weary, fatigued, weak

It seems like James’ instruction for praying over those who are sick needs some context for better understanding. First of all, the Greek word astheno which is translated here as “sick” literally means to be weary. It is where we get our English word asthenia which means weakness. It is meant to be the opposite of the Greek word stheno which means strength. The reference here, then, is to more than just having a physical medical ailment. I think verse 14 is better understood as asking it this way: is anyone among you in a time of weariness? Now, to be fair, the surrounding context of the passage makes it clear that James is including physical illness as a part of this. So our English Bibles are not wrong to translate the verse as referencing those who are sick. But the implication of the word calls special attention to weariness and fatigue; those who are in a time of patiently persevering through a long struggle—which may certainly include physical illness, but is also not exclusively limited to physical illness alone.

anointing — ancient ritual used to set people apart with special significance

Then James says, call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint the weary person with oil in the name of the Lord. This may seem like an unusual ritualistic practice for us, but it was a common thing to do back in the time of James. There are biblical commentators who point to the belief that oils had certain medicinal quality during Bible times. It is not necessarily all that different today if you happen to know people who are into the use of what are called essential oils for purposes of aroma therapy. So, sure, there could have been a belief in the time of James that oils worked like medicine. However, the practice of anointing carried other special significance during the time of the Bible that we no longer practice today. The act of anointing in the Bible was a ritual meant to represent a special lifting up and setting aside. Kings were anointed because that anointing was symbolic of marking the person as especially lifted up. The Hebrew word messiah literally means “anointed one.” It is a title in the Bible set aside for Jesus, the savior. It seems very clear here in James that the act of anointing those who struggling in a time of weariness carries a symbolic meaning of calling together the church to especially lift up in prayer those who are weary.

how does healing prayer challenge our faith?

What about this prayer for healing, then? James says in verse 15, “the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” We should not skip this over because this verse in particular has become rather problematic for people. In particular, it raises the question of what it means when we do pray for those who are sick and they are not healed. That becomes a bit of a crisis now, doesn’t it. If the Bible says that our prayers offered in faith will make the sick person well, and so we pray for those who are sick and they do not get well, does that mean our prayers are broken or ineffectual? Does it mean that there is something wrong with our faith because James says only those prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well?

Greek sozo “well” = safe, delivered (soter - savior)

I’ve already talked about the nuance of the Greek word astheno to encompass not only those who are physically ill, but also all those who experience weariness. It is also worth pointing out in this verse that the Greek word sozo which our English Bibles translate as “well” literally means “safe” or “delivered.” Again, the word carries double meaning in Greek and can certainly also make reference to physical healing. However, we once again see that it is a loaded term which carries a much broader application. This Greek word sozo can also be varied as a title for a person—the Greek word soter which literally means “savior” or “one who delivers.” This is a title used for Jesus, the soter (savior) who brings sozo (salvation) to his people. James is packing a ton of deeper meaning into these verses beyond simply praying for those who are physically ill to be healed. It is a prayer for the savior to keep them safe in their time of patient perseverance. And I would affirm that James honestly means for it to be a prayer for physical healing as well. But physical healing is only one layer of this prayer which James brings as an instruction for the church.

our prayers move us towards greater communion with our savior in times of patient perseverance

The life of prayer which we embrace together as a church spreads into may directions. James talks in verses 15-16 about confession and forgiveness as a component of that prayer as well. It is a continuation of the theme we saw last week in chapters 3 and 4 about a posture of humble submission before God. In the practice of coming together in prayer with one another, this truly becomes the workshop of the Holy Spirit to be reviving and sanctifying our hearts together as God’s people. James leaves this letter for the people of the church with that word of hope and encouragement. As we have experienced the patient perseverance of God’s love, may we as God’s people embrace the inner experience of that faith in God in ways which will then always express outwardly that same patient perseverance of God’s love in and through our lives with one another.

as we have experienced the patient perseverance of God’s love, may we embrace inner faith in ways which express outwardly that same patient perseverance of God’s love