James

5:13-20

10. Concluding instruction, 5:13-20

The prayer of faith and the restoration of a erring brother

In his final set of sayings James deals with the prayer of faith for the "sick" in soul, v13-20.

This passage is often treated literally, rather than figuratively, and this because some translators have left little room for it to be read any other way. As a result, the passage is often wrongly used to support faith healing. It is most unlikely that James is teaching that prayer makes a sick person well when accompanied by confession and faith. Even the topic of faith healing itself is unrelated to the subject matter of the treatise. It is more likely that v13-20 serve as the conclusion of James letter. The sins addressed by James include misuse of the tongue, jealousy, lack of concern for the poor, worldliness, quarrelling ...., all serve to lead us from gospel truth. If we have strayed from the truth it is then we dearly need the aid of a brother to turn us from error and and enable us, through the prayer of faith, to look to the Lord to heal our sick soul / save / renew / gift wellbeing.

If this assessment of the concluding verses is correct, then James has followed a well-trodden pathway - law both guides and leads to grace (by exposing sin).

Instruction #1, v13-16a. Pray in hard spells and sing sacred songs in moments of joy, v13, pray in faith for the sick, v14-15, and do this with a repentant heart, v16a.

kakopaqei (kakopaqew) pres. "is [any one of you] in trouble?" - is suffering physical pain, hardship and distress*. The phrase may be a statement rather than a question, but either way, both serve the imperative "pray". The distress is general rather than a specific. Given the wider context, the distress is possibly self inflected, in the sense of abandonment by God, or possibly chastisement for the sins James has already identified in this letter. It should be noted that most commentators see the trouble as some form of persecution, or external suffering.

tiV "anyone" - Functioning as an indefinite pronoun, rather than an interrogative, although usually treated as setting up a series of quick fire questions.

proseucesqw (proseucomai) pres. imp. "he should pray" - let him pray. "He must pray", Barclay.

euqumei (euqumew) pres. "is [anyone] happy" - is happy, encouraged. In a state of inner cheerfulness, in good spirits. "Is anyone feeling good", Johnson.

yalletw (yallw) pres. imp. "let him sing songs of praise" - let him sing psalms. "Sing psalms", is possibly what James means, although technically it is not what the words means. Technically it means to sing with the accompaniment of a harp. "Let him sing praises to God", Phillips.

asqenei (asqenew) pres. "is [anyone of you] sick" - is [anyone among you] in a state of weakness and incapacity, sick, ill, disabled*. Most commentator's suggest some form of physical malady is intended here, but some commentators, eg. Donald Robinson, suggest that James has in mind a sickness of the heart, a sickness of the mind, guilt. The problem James is addressing is quite possibly sin, not sickness. Taken figuratively, the word would mean "spiritually weak", cf. Rom.14:2, 1Cor.8:11-12. Note how Paul reminds the Corinthians that maladies have emerged in the congregation due to their improper handling of the Lord's Supper, 1Cor.11:29-30. So, it is possible that James has in mind some physical malady flowing from the spiritual weakness of his readers, but the physical is not the issue. "[is there any one of you] spiritually weak?"

proskalesasqw (proskaleomai) aor. imp. "he should call" - call to oneself, summon. Urgency is implied.

touV presbuterous (oV) "the elders" - Aged members are not intended, rather the term is used for those who minister in the congregation - bishop, overseer. No specific form of congregational eldership is demanded and so we are left to work within our own form of pastoral ministry.

proseuxaswsan (proseucomai) aor. imp. "to pray over him" - let them pray over them. Are the ministers to pray for healing or forgiveness? Forgiveness seems far more likely. This passage is about bringing back a brother who has gone astray. As suggested, the passage is most likely not about faith healing.

aleiyanteV (aleifw) aor. part. "anoint" - having anointed. The participle possibly forms a temporal clause, "after anointing." James gives us little insight into the purpose of this anointing with oil. It may be a symbol of prayer, but this is unlikely. The laying on of hands is a more common symbol of prayer. Olive oil was certainly used for medicinal purposes and so this may be the intention. There are those today who use olive oil in the healing ministry. Martin notes that "the idea of oil-anointing as a mark of honor and joy, derived from God's electing mercy, is well attested in the Jewish and NT literature, cf. Deut.28:40, Am.6:6 etc." In this sense the anointing would be an "outward tangible sign of God's covenant faithfulness", a sign of "restoration and forgiveness." It would be difficult to argue that we should use this sign today, particularly as chrism and unction are now associated with baptismal and funeral rites.

hJ euch thV pistewV "the prayer of faith" - A prayer that rests on God's revealed intentions. Biblical faith is substantially a reliance on the revealed word of God and is not an expression of wishful thinking. As there is no Word from the Lord promising physical healing for the asking, we will need to be careful how we interpret the words "make the sick person well" and "raise him up."

swsei (swzw) fut. "will make [the sick person] well" - will make whole, save. In the New Testament the word is most often used of salvation, making whole spiritually, and it is likely that this sense is intended here.

ton kamnonta (kamnw) pres. part. "the sick person" - the sick/very sick one, ill, worn-out, wasting away. The participle functions as a substantive. The word also has the meaning to lose one's motivation to accomplish some goal, to become discouraged, to become tired of*. The second meaning, in the sense of being overcome (with guilt), well suits the context.

egerei (egeirw) fut. "will raise [him] up" - will raise up, lift up. Normally taken in this passage to mean recovery from illness, or possibly even the resurrection. Raised up from the oppression of guilt is most likely intended.

afeqhsetai (afihmi) fut. pas. "he will be forgiven" - Rather than taking this phrase as a new idea, or as a linking idea (a connection between sin and sickness), James is most likely further developing the central point of this passage, v13-20, namely, that the sickness of sin for a believer is overcome through repentance and the prayer of faith leading to God's forgiveness, which may be expressed outwardly in the anointing of oil as a sign of that forgiveness. None-the-less, as noted above, sickness of the soul may be expressed outwardly in a sickness of the body. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although sin is forgiven in the asking, not so healing.

oun "therefore" - Consequential. Omitted in some manuscripts.

exomologeisqe (exomologew) pres. imp. "confess" - Sin and suffering (sickness) are certainly linked throughout the Bible and public confession was seen as a way through suffering in Judaism and the early church. Yet, sin is the issue, suffering is but a sign of sin (although not necessarily so, eg. Job, Jn.9:2,3.). Note also that confession is mutual in character, confessing to one another. Variants have even attempted to alter this rather unique NT instruction.

oJpwV + subj. "so that" - Probably forming a purpose/result clause, as NIV, although it may serve to introduce the actual content of the prayer, "may you be healed."

iaqhte (iaomai) subj. pas. "healed" - Often, cause someone to become well again after having been sick, but the word also has a figurative meaning in the sense of cause something to change to an earlier, correct, or appropriate state, to renew*. So, here again it is quite possible that James intends a figurative sense of healing, of getting well, a healing of the soul through forgiveness.

Instruction #2, v16b-18. The prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. This truth James illustrates in the life of Elijah. Of course, the division of verse 16 is open to question, but it does seem likely that v16b introduces a separate saying supported by the Elijah illustration. Although probably itself an independent saying, it well supports James' thematic intentions.

gar "-" - for. Variant connective added in some manuscripts to link these words to the first part of the verse. Obviously an addition.

dikaiou adj. "a righteous man" - just or righteous one. In the context, the righteous person is the person who trusts the Lord, who relies on God's revealed will. He is the person who can pray the prayer of faith. Of course, a more general sense may be implied, "a just person / a good person".

energoumenh (energew) mid/pass. part. "effective" - being engaged in some activity or function, with possible focus upon the energy or force involved, cause or make possible a particular function*. In the middle voice "the prayer is very powerful in its working", or in the passive voice the "prayer is very powerful when it is energized by the Spirit." Either way, the prayer for forgiveness by the righteous person is effective for the forgiveness of sins.

oJmoiopaqhV "like" - of like nature. A man with the "same limitations" as every other human person, "of like nature." Elijah was a person just like us, flesh and blood, and he prayed a prayer of faith and saw the prayer answered, 1 Kings 17, 18. So, Elijah serves as an example for us. The interesting feature of his prayer is that it was based on the revealed word of God. The Lord told him there would be a drought and later told him that it would rain, cf. 18:1. So, his prayer was answered because it was a prayer of faith, a prayer that rested on God's revealed will. Similarly, a prayer for forgiveness will be answered because God has promised to forgive. Of further interest is the fact that we are not told in first Kings that Elijah prayed for drought, although it can be argued that he prayed for rain in 18:42.

proseuch/ proshuxato (proseucomai) "he prayed earnestly" - in prayer he prayed. The dative "in prayer" is instrumental. Elijah's prayer was not answered because of his earnestness; it was answered because it was God's will. "Elijah prayed intensely and earnestly desiring."

eniautouV treiV kai mhnaV ex "three and a half years" - years three and six months. This period possibly reflects the symbolic period of judgment, Dan.7:25, 12:7.

Instruction #3, v19-20. Restore an erring brother, or sister, cf. Dibelius. These verses are often treated as if a final word from James, generally unrelated to v13-18. Yet, v13-18 are concerned with the sickness of sin, of going astray, and of restoration through the prayer of faith. So, it is more than likekly that v13-20 is part of a thematic whole which serves to conclude the treatise.

ean + subj. "if" - introducing a conditional clause, 3rd class, where the stated condition has the possibility of becoming a reality, "if, as may be the case, ..... then ....."

planhqh/ (planaomai) aor. pas. subj. "wander from [the truth]" - wanders, to no longer believe what is true, but to start believing what is false, to stray from the truth, to wander from the truth, to go astray from*. "If any of your number strays from the gospel message", Junkins.

epistreyh/ (epistrefw) aor. subj. "[someone] should bring [him] back" - turn back, return ..... to cause a person to change belief, with focus upon that to which one turns, to cause to change belief, to cause to turn to*. This was the function performed by the elders in v14.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of perception expressing what he should know.

oJ epistreyaV (epistrefw) aor. part. "whoever turns [a sinner]" - the one having turned back, turned around. The participle functions as a substantive.

ek planhV oJdou autou "from the error of his ways" - of wandering of way of him. The many evils identified by James which weigh down the brother with guilt.

swsei yuchn autou ek qanatou "save him from death" - save his soul from death. "Soul" here most likely means "eternal soul" rather than just "self", and "death" would similarly mean "eternal death" rather than just physical death. Turning a brother around, who is in a state of rebellion against the Lord, serves to save the brother from eternal damnation.

kaluyei (kaluptw) fut. "will .... cover" - cause something to be covered over and hence not visible*. Some commentators suggest that the action of turning a sinner from error serves to wipe away the sins of the one ministering to the sinner. This is unlikely. The sins of the one who turns are the sins covered, or better, forgiven.

James Introduction

lectionarystudies.com