Wandering, Healing, and Restoration

James 5:13-20

James 5:13–20 ESV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Introduction

Magic 8-ball illustration: It is tempting to come to this passage fixated on the portion about healing.—Asking my AI about laying on of hands.

He did not sit down to write this letter thinking,

“Now, I know in 2026, many in the American church will be wondering about whether or not it is right to pray for miraculous healing, and I will write this letter to answer their questions.”

If we can set our own nagging questions aside, and remind ourselves that we as God’s creatures are not in a position of telling, but one of being told…

How we might approach this text—Illustrate: Coaching or teaching kids who are bursting with questions. Anyone in a role like this has to learn to be able to say, “We will come to that in time, we will get to that question when the time comes.”

But…I think the Spirit of God through James is less interested in answering our questions about divine healing and more interested in exhorting us to confront sin in a way that brings spiritual restoration.

That’s the approach we need when we come to this passage, and if we come that way, I think we will find the most blessing, and get as close as we can to the truth and therefore, make the best application to our lives today.

Illustrate: Qwerty song

Instruction about Steadfastness V. 13-14

James, in the verses previous to this one, has just stressed the importance of remaining steadfast and being patient. Like in the opening of the book of James, when he acknowledges the trials these believers are going through, he does so again here. In verse 13, he mentions suffering—that is a reference to circumstances. The beginning of verse 14 is also a reference to circumstances, “Is anyone among you sick?” In contrast, when he asks is anyone cheerful, it is not a reference to circumstance, but attitude of the heart. The word translated cheerful specifically carries the idea of a person’s attitude irrespective of their circumstances. It is translated “take courage” elsewhere in scripture. You might remember the previous exhortation, to “count it all joy when you experience trials of various kinds”.

If you have an ESV study Bible you might have noticed in the footnotes that the editors see it as a chiastic rhetorical device. Something like a poem or a proverb. I think that might be right. I think James’s point here is more specific than we fight think at first glance. He wants to instruct how to endure the circumstances they are in.

Illustrate: We could summarize what James is doing in verse 13 like this: When facing the pressure from persecution, this is what you have been doing: showing partiality (James 2:1-9), making presumptuous business decisions (James 4:13-17), stockpiling wealth at the expense of the poor (James 5:1-6), swearing and making oaths that you most likely won’t be able to keep…And as we enter this end section, I think James is saying, instead of doing all that, “Be patient therefore brothers…look at the farmer…You have been trying to establish your physical well-being, instead, establish your hearts…”

Instead of grumbling and complaining… pray…Make a resolution to face your trials with cheerfulness (remember, this kind of testing God allows to produce enduring faith),

Illustrate: Paul and Silas singing hymns in Acts 16:25

And then comes the final and most challenging instruction in verse 14: James 5:14 “14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

I know at least one of the commentators (I don’t remember which, but I’m going to try to have Julia post my sources when she posts the sermon) suggests that the emphasis on this verse, because of its placement in the rhetorical progression should be on the calling of the elders moreso than the healing. I think that is really good and helpful to those of us so far removed from the time and place of James’s letter. Because I will get into the part about healing in the next section, but probably the biggest take away for us as I said in the introduction, is to focus on the instruction to action.

Illustrate: I had someone contact me this week carrying out a ministry. They contacted me just to say, “Hey, here is what I am doing in ministry, and since you are a shepherd of the church I just wanted to take the time to run this by you.”

And that was just wonderful. Because the church is not to operate as the U.S. government operates. And the U.S. government is the best form of government. God bless the United States of America. But the church is distinct from a secular political governing body. Elders don’t govern as politicians but as shepherds. They govern with self-denying love, serving underneath the authority of the ultimate Shepherd, who gave his life for the flock, praise God (where’s Dondi). Our concerns are different. Our source of life and power are different.

Listen to Peter’s description of the office of Pastor/Elder,

1 Peter 5:1–3 “1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

And I can say that is genuinely true of the three lay elders of this church, for whom I am very thankful. We have tried to get rid of Dick but he just continues to shepherd, not under compulsion, but willingly.

The relationship between the Elders and the church should be a relationship marked by trust, so much so that members of the congregation feel that they can be vulnerable with their leaders, and know their best interest is being sought. The combativeness and ambition that characterizes the political world has no place in God’s church.

Healing V. 15-16

Now, I want to handle verses 15-16 just by acknowledging that there is a variety of interpretations to these verses and the meaning is not crystal clear regardless which way you go. And so I am going to offer you a reconstruction that I believe is most faithful to the text with the disclaimer, that this may not be the only way to understand this passage.

The first thing that I want you to understand is that it’s possible to translate verses 14-16 differently than the way we have them in our English Bibles. The words translated “sick” and “healed” and “saved” can all be used in a literal physical sense, or also in a spiritual and metaphorical sense. The context generally determines the meaning. The word “sick” can mean more like “sickly” or weak, unable to go about life as you normally would because you have been weakened in some way.

Today it is 2026. We have hundreds, probably thousands of different kinds of diseases and illnesses we are aware of because of modern medicine. James was writing in the ancient middle east. Medicine was much more simplistic. The word sick used here is broader in sense than other words James could have used. A person would choose this word when wanting to emphasize incapacity. By “sick” these people were unable to do things. Things that they were unable to do most likely included attending church gatherings.

Because of this, I think the sick person category here described, is a person who had become not just sick, but sickly, or weak. That is why the elders had to go to them. Given the fraudulent practices by the rich James had just mentioned at the beginning of chapter 5, and his description of pure religion at the end of chapter one as being caring for orphans and widows, and because James begins his letter with the concept of the rich being humbled and the lowly being exalted, I am tempted to believe that the ‘sick’ being addressed here are those who had become sick because they lacked adequate food and shelter as a result of the fraudulent actions of the wealthy. The clause about committing sins is included at the end of verse 15 because it is extra likely, that a person who has been deprived of the basic needs of life will sin in order to meet those basic biological needs. I think it is such people who are to call for the elders.

That fits the context well doesn’t it? Because as leaders of a church that is facing economic hardship as a result of persecution, what would be tempting? To show partiality to the wealthy and powerful. To those with high social status, to those who have the right friends and connections. You get the idea.

I just can’t be clear enough, I am offering it to you as a possible interpretation that I think fits the larger context and real life experience best. But while we are connecting this part of the text back to the rebuke of the rich (verses 1-6), I want to say 2 things in passing about verses 1-6.

I want you to notice (and Paul alluded to this last week) that James never condemns the practices of the wealthy for being wealthy, but for two other reasons: 1. The way they accumulated their wealth (v. 4) and 2. their poor stewardship of their wealth (v. 5).

Question: Are they recently rich? Is he mocking or humbling them by calling them rich?

The second thing I want you to notice is that although the words towards the rich in verses 1-6 are harsh, they are not hopeless words. I think James wrote them with tears. He is seeking to restore these offending rich folks with the brothers they have wronged. Look closely at his indictment. He is pointing out the futility of the wealth they had accumulated. That it has not provided them with the lasting security that they had hoped it would. He is condemning them because rather than waiting for God to provide for them, they sacrificed their fellowship with God and God’s people for the immediate, apparent, but false security of wealth gained by fraud.

Now, if we carry this interpretation into v. 16, the confession of sin and praying that is to take place, is an instruction of what should go on between those who had committed fraud, and those who had suffered as a result. Not necessarily a general statement about what should take place in churches.

Finally…I still haven’t got to answer what everyone wants to know,

“Is this talking about divine healing or simply relational restoration? And how should this apply to us?”

James you can change the slide.

Restoration V. 17-20

In verse 17, James, just like any good preacher, provides us with an illustration to conclude his sermonic letter. He mentions Elijah and his prayer to stop the rain, this is recorded in 1 Kings 17:1. Now, Andy Gemmill, who I mentioned to you a couple weeks ago, and who I respect very much, believes Elijah is mentioned because of the double-mindedness that was prevalent in Israel when Elijah was a prophet. Ahab was king and married Jezebel, who led Israel into Ba’al worship and the people worshiped God, and on the dime of the taxes and the nation, also worshiped Ba’al. Both Gemmill and Douglas Moo see it as strange that in the context of healing, Elijah’s prayer for rain is mentioned. However, given the interpretive reconstruction I just gave you, I think the mentioning of the whole Elijah narrative fits as a concluding illustration to James’s letter very well.

When Elijah bursts onto the scene in 1 Kings 17, Israel is not in need of a military Savior. They are robust economically and politically. But they are bankrupt spiritually. Ahab’s wife led the people into Ba’al worship. The people believed their economic prosperity came as a result of Ahab and Jezebel, and mostly Ba’al.

Listen to more events of the Elijah narrative:

Elijah declares that it will not rain in defense of God’s honor.

He is fed and sustained supernaturally by ravens.

God then leads him to a widow who supernaturally provides for him

Her son dies, and after praying 3 times, the Lord brings him back to life

And what is the setting of the book of James?

God’s honor being tarnished by corruption

An exhortation to caring for widow’s and orphans

Divine healing

Corruption of wealth gotten fraudulently

And the church seeking economic security and political stability from the world and getting it at the cost of unfaithfulness to God and his people.

And I think the reason he chooses Elijah in particular, is because of Elijah’s persistence and steadfastness, particularly in the area of prayer.

Notice, James stresses the way Elijah prayed. He prayed fervently and persistently. Interestingly, when Elijah prayed for the widow’s son, God didn’t heal him after the first prayer. Even after he defeated the prophets of Ba’al on Mount Carmel, he feared and ran from Jezebel, and being exhausted, weakened, sickly, God miraculously preserved and sustained him.

“Let steadfastness have its full effect…” James says. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial…”

And here in chapter 5, “Be patient, remain steadfast…” he says in one form or another 7 times in a span of 5 verses. Keep praying fervently with patience. God’s honor is at stake here.

“I have been very jealous for the Lord, Elijah said…”

In the gospel of Luke, Christ, after he had prayed for the cup to pass from him knowing the cup of suffering would not pass, submits his human will to the father. And then Luke includes this interesting detail in verse 44,

Luke 22:44 “44 And being in agony [that is, after he realized he would have to endure the suffering] he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Alec Moyter, highlights this patient use of prayer in his commentary on James and writes, “Prayer may not remove the affliction but it most certainly can transform it.’”

Similarly, in Luke, in chapter 18, we find the parable of the unjust judge. I’ll let you read it for yourself, but the purpose of the parable is to teach his disciples to keep praying even when their prayers do not seem to be answered. To pray with faith, persistently. He had just told them, “Whoever wishes to save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, and the gospel’s will keep it. And we expect Jesus to conclude the parable saying, “Keep praying persistently and God may eventually answer.” But that isn’t how the parable ends. He says, “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth.” Insinuating that, the ultimate fulfillment and answer to all prayer is Christ himself and what he has promised to those who believe in him.

And I can’t help but wonder, given verses 7-11 of James 5, and the reference to Elijah, emphasizing the fervency with which he prays…if that isn’t the very thing James has in mind here. What did he say in verse 9, “…behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

And so, given this, I am not sure exactly what James means when he says pray for one another and be healed. But I can’t say with the utmost confidence that instant divine healing is what this passage is about. Beyond this, I think I may just let you all come to your own conclusions about this, and I would love to hear from you what your thoughts are.

Conclusion v. 19-20

So, what can we say in conclusion, in light of what we learned?

Illustrate: Qwerty song

I haven’t got to verses 19-20 yet, but that is really the big idea. I think the concern ultimately of James is less about healing, and more about the glory and honor of God and the fellowship of his people. “If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back…will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. The issue of healing in this passage is a secondary one. At this time in history the miraculous was the norm, providing confirmation that Jesus was who he said he was and the apostles were who they said they were (If you want to talk more about this, please come find me after church).

The references to divine healing only appear strange to us, because of our placement in history. The big issue in this passage is the relational division. And, just like Elijah, with great concern for God’s honor, James writes and confronts confidently, trusting that Christ will bring spiritual and relational healing and restoration to his church. And I think that is really where we find our application.

If our expectation of church life is one that exists of people who never waver in unbelief and doubt, and as a result put themselves ahead of others (as is the case here in James), then our perception of church has become too idealistic. We should expect that at one time or another one of us will stray away. We should expect that. And confronting those, in a spirit of gentleness, and with zeal for God’s honor and concern for those who take his name on their lips, should be something we expect to be normal as well.

Illustrate: Micah at football camp—

it was far from perfect—”From this group I need better focus”

There was much confrontation, there was much turning wanderers

“Don’t you want to be coached” Mr. Jenkins said

Pray

Benediction

English Standard Version Chapter 19

10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by,