Sermon Tone Analysis

*21—The Power of Righteous Praying (**5:13–18**)*

*Is anyone among you suffering?

Then he must pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

He is to sing praises.

Is anyone among you sick?

Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six m**ont**hs.

Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

*(5:13–18)

This passage has been a battleground for interpreters over the centuries as various groups have used it as a proof text for their particular beliefs.

Roman Catholics find in it biblical support for the sacrament of extreme unction.

Faith healers of every stripe have used it to teach that all sick Christians are guaranteed healing through prayer.

Still others see in it a precedent for anointing sick people with oil.

The passage raises a number of difficult interpretive questions.

What kind of suffering does James have in view in verse 13?

What type of sickness is in view in verse 14?

Why are the prayers of the elders different from those of other believers (vv.

14–15)?

What is the anointing with oil described in verse 14? Does the prayer of faith (v.

15) always restore the sick?

How does sickness relate to sin (v.

15)?

What type of healing is in view in verse 16?

Why does James insert an illustration about rain (vv.

17–18) into the middle of a discussion of healing?

The key to answering those questions and properly interpreting the passage lies in understanding it in its context.

The Bible is not a random collection of verses that may be interpreted in isolation.

To properly understand any passage one must interpret it in light of the paragraphs immediately preceding and following it, the chapter or section it is in, and the book containing it.

Context provides the flow of thought in which any given passage of Scripture exists.

To ignore context is to sacrifice a proper interpretation; it has well been said that a text without a context is a pretext.

Therefore, before attempting to interpret this challenging passage, a review of the context in which it was written is essential and helpful.

James wrote his epistle to Jewish believers who had been forced to flee from Palestine by the persecution recorded in Acts 8:1–4.

In 1:1 he referred to them as “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad.”

Being both Jewish and Christians, they faced hostility from the pagan culture in which they lived.

Knowing that, James opened his epistle with an exhortation to patiently endure trials (1:2ff.).

In chapter 5 he returned to that theme.

The first six verses described the persecution his poor readers were suffering at the hands of the wicked rich—even to the point of death (v. 6).

Verses 7–11 call for patient endurance of trials and persecution (cf.

chap.

19 of this volume).

James exhorted those about to collapse under the weight of their afflictions to prop up their hearts and resolutely, determinedly persist.

In view of the overall context of the epistle, particularly chapter 5, it is not surprising that James mentions suffering in 5:13.

He calls on those who are suffering the persecution discussed in 5:1–11 to pray, since prayer taps the source of spiritual endurance.

It would have been surprising if, in a letter to struggling, persecuted believers, James had neglected to mention prayer.

A strong commitment to prayer is a prerequisite to enduring suffering and affliction.

The theme of verses 13–18, then, is prayer, which is mentioned in every one of those verses.

James’s exhortation to prayer embraces the prayer life of the entire church.

Individual believers are called to pray in verse 13, the elders in verses 14–15, and the congregation in verse 16.

This section also reflects James’s compassionate pastoral care for his suffering flock; his main focus is on the casualties of the spiritual battle, the persecuted, weak, defeated believers.

As the context and the content of this section make clear, the subject is not physical illness or healing.

Instead, its concern is with healing spiritual weakness, spiritual weariness, spiritual exhaustion, and spiritual depression through prayer, as well as dealing with the suffering and sin that accompanies it.

To insert a discussion here on physical healing would be incongruous.

Nothing in the preceding or following context would prepare James’s readers for that.

But a section on how to help the casualties of persecution through prayer fits perfectly into the flow of James’s thought.

Specifically, James discusses the relationship of prayer to comfort, restoration, fellowship, and power.

*Prayer and Comfort*

*Is anyone among you suffering?

Then he must pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

He is to sing praises.

*(5:13)

The objects of James’s pastoral care are identified first as the weary, *suffering* believers.

*Suffering *is from /kakopatheō/, the verb form of the noun translated “suffering” in verse 10.

As noted in the discussion of that verse in chapter 19 of this volume, the word refers to enduring evil treatment by people—not physical illness (cf.

its only other New Testament uses in 2 Tim.

2:9; 4:5).

James addresses not those suffering from physical diseases, but those being persecuted, abused, and treated wickedly.

As an antidote to their suffering, James exhorts them to *pray.*

As noted above, prayer is essential to enduring affliction.

God is the ultimate source of comfort, leading the apostle Paul to describe Him as the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Cor.

1:3–4).

Similarly, Peter wrote, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet.

5:7).

From the stomach of a great fish the disobedient prophet Jonah prayed, “While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple” (Jonah 2:7).

The present tense of the verb translated *he must pray* suggests a continual pleading with God in prayer; it could be translated “let him keep on praying.”

When life is difficult, when believers are weak in faith, weary with persecution, and crushed by affliction, they must continually plead with God to comfort them.

That is a basic spiritual truth, but one often forgotten.

In the words of the beloved hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,”

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Ev’rything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Those who manage to maintain a *cheerful* attitude in their suffering are *to sing praises.*

*Cheerful* is from /euthumeō/ and describes those well in spirit, or having a joyful attitude—not those who are physically well.

The suffering and the happy, the wounded, broken spirits and the whole, rejoicing spirits are both to pray.

The one is to plead with God for comfort, the other *is to sing praises* to God for comfort given.

/Psallō/ (*sing praises*) is the verb from which the noun translated “psalm” derives (cf.

Acts 13:33; 1 Cor.

14:26; Eph.

5:19).

Praise and prayer are closely related; praise is actually a form of prayer (Phil.

4:6; Col.

4:2).

Both are essential for the spiritual strength of those undergoing persecution.

*Prayer and Restoration*

*Is anyone among you sick?

Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

*(5:14–15)

Here is the most misunderstood and disputed portion of this passage.