The Oil of Gladness: a neglected ministry

James 5:14 as the sure promise of the Gospel, not physical healing

The Olive Trees by Vincent Van Gogh. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Abstract: A non-academic article arguing that contrary to the majority opinion, the oil of James 5:14 does not represent physical healing in this life, but rather the good news of eternal life promised in Isaiah 61:3 - the oil of gladness. The ministry James tasks to the elders is not necessarily to heal, but to bring this good news to the sick and sinful, to assure them that both body and soul will be saved at the resurrection. All Rights Reserved, 2023.

Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any 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; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. ~ James 5:13-16 (RSV)

Over the centuries, many Christians and churches have wrestled with this text because James seems to earnestly promise physical healing to those who come with faith to be anointed with oil by their church’s leaders. But obviously, the testimony of Christian history is that this has not always been the case.

And yet few topics could be more vital to the pastoral ministry of the local church. How are we to bring help and encouragement to the most needy among us, the sick? What we find after a careful look is that the promise of James 5:14 is far greater than often supposed. I wish to argue that our churches should anoint the sick with oil far more regularly than is often the case. Properly understood, it ought to be a frequent and vital part of our ministry, because it is the ministry of Christ Himself to the weak.

So what are we to make of the very clear promise that when accompanied by the anointing of oil, “the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up?” This raises a number of pressing and practical questions:

1. If healing does not occur, does that mean there has been some deficiency of faith on the part of the sick or the elders?

2. If the operating principle is the individual’s (invisible) faith, what is the purpose of involving the elders and the visible element of oil?

3. Why does James turn to the subject of sin, as if that is somehow connected to the person’s physical illness? Surely, James is not blaming all illness on specific sins which would contradict the book of Job and Jesus’ plain teaching (John 9:3).

4. Finally, how can James seem to predicate the efficacy of the prayer on our righteousness, when the Scriptures tell us “no one is righteous, not even one” (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10)?

A large variety of answers to these questions have been given, mostly focused on the nature of the oil itself:

1. Reformed author and counselor Jay Adams argues that the oil represents common grace medical care (cf. Luke 10:34), so that James is instructing the ill to ask for prayer, but also to go to the doctor - the equivalent of “trust God and keep your powder dry.” That’s certainly good advice, but it’s doubtful this view is supported by this text, as we will see below.

2. Classic Pentecostals tend to take this text literally, promising healing to those who have enough faith. Not only does this contradict many believers’ experiences, it also turns this text into a burden and a discouragement. Rather than bringing good news to the sick, this reading can cause the weak to doubt God’s goodness as prayers are not answered as promised.

3. The Roman Catholic church believes the anointing of oil to be a sacrament, termed Extreme Unction, given to anyone who is in danger of dying due to illness or old age. When it seems certain that the person is near to death, this anointing is sometimes called “Last Rites.” The problem with this position for Protestants is the same with Catholic sacramental theology in general - we do not believe that Jesus gave us any other physical oath-signs (sacraments) apart from baptism and the Lord’s Supper; nor do we believe in the ex opere operato efficacy of the anointing. Faith must be present. That said, the promises offered in Extreme Unction (i.e. eternal life for those in Christ), are in fact likely closer to the meaning of the text than many Protestants understand, especially those who tie the oil to temporal healing.

4. Interestingly, Calvin believed that the anointing of oil was indeed “sacramental” and efficacious for healing, but that its efficacy ceased with the passing of the Apostles, along with all the other foundational miracles given to the early Church.

In the end, we believe all these answers fail to understand the text accurately, precisely because they have not properly answered the question about the nature of the oil in verse 14. The oil in James 5 is far better than any promise of physical healing - and at the same time more realistic about the present age.

The best way to understand this passage is to take it in context - first the message of the book of James itself, and then an overall Biblical Theology of oil in both Old and New Testaments. As we let Scripture interpret Scripture (Westminster Confession of Faith 1.10), we better discover the richness of God’s grace and love in this text.

The Message of James: the great reversal

Many commentators believe that James is more or less like the book of Proverbs with no real structure, just a series of wisdom teachings strung together. On the contrary, I believe that James makes one sustained argument about the fruits of faith in the Christian life: namely, wisdom and humility in relationships and times of trial. This is especially evident in chapter two in which James famously declares, “faith without works is dead” (2:17, 26). The context of this statement is about not showing partiality to the rich (2:1-9) bur rather showing mercy to the needy. “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (2:13). Mercy is the fruit of true faith - because that is what we receive from God in Christ.

If it is true then that James is one long argument, then the opening phrase in James 5:12, “But above all, my brethren,” likely does not just apply to the rest of verse 12, but also to the concluding passage as a whole, 5:12-20. Otherwise, it seems strange that James places not swearing false oaths (5:12b) as the one thing that is “above all.” It seems rather that James is concluding his epistle as a whole by describing what life in the church should look like, verses 12-20, including prayer for the sick.

This makes even more sense when one considers how many strong critiques James has made of the church throughout his epistle (e.g. 3:1-12; 4:1-10; 5:1-6). It seems likely that he wishes to end positively by describing what a healthy church should look like.

He begins with a simplicity in verses 12-13 which sets the stage for his instructions on praying for the sick and sinful in verses 14-16. James instructs us to not use fancy religious language or ceremonies - let your yes be yes and your no be no. Second, he tells us to be authentic with one another. If you are cheerful, sing songs. If you are distressed, then pray. Keep it simple and sincere. Be real.

As the church, we are to support one another in all circumstances. James 5 reminds us that we are not alone but connected to one another in the communion of the saints, as Paul also writes:

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. (Romans 12:15-16a)

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (I Corinthians 12:25)

This means that those who have a serious illness should not hide it. They should come to the elders of the church and ask them to pray in an official manner - by the anointing of oil. Be sick, but be sick in community - humbling oneself before the church, asking for prayer.

We find then that 5:13-14 is part of the great reversal that we find throughout James - that, for the believer, the way up is down. For instance, James begins his epistle with this startling statement:

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. (James 1:9)

That the poor and needy should be exalted and the rich humbled makes no sense apart from the Gospel. Yet it is precisely what Jesus came to do, according to Mary in the Magnificat:

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty. (Luke 1:52-53)

So we find that theme continuing throughout James, echoing Jesus’ own teaching about this great reversal, e.g. James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (cf. Luke 14:11).

Serious illness humbles both rich and poor. Illness is the great equalizer. When a person faces their own mortality and that they cannot cure themselves by their own money or accomplishments, they have no recourse but to turn to God in prayer and humility. It causes this reversal to occur, even where there are great means.

If this is so, surely this prayer is available to anyone in any circumstance. So why does James involve the elders of the Church? Because elders are those who represent the mercies of Christ to their flock. They are not Jesus but they have been set apart to lead the Church and thus represent Jesus’ presence in a very real and tangible way. That is why it is crucial that they be persons of character, full of wisdom and mercy (cf. James 3:1-18). When elders lay hands upon the ill, anointing them with oil, it is as if Jesus himself is there ministering to his sheep.

However, there is one very important difference. When Jesus walked the earth, he healed all whom he touched - without fail. His glory is still here in his church, but it is a faded and imperfectly displayed glory - for we are not Christ. When he returns again, no prayer will fail and no more illness will remain. Until then, the Church is to represent this healing - this salvation - to the world. But we do so imperfectly, pointing the sick to the life and the world to come.

That brings us to the purpose of the oil in James 5:14.

A Biblical Theology of Oil: God’s blessing and favor

While it is largely assumed that the oil either brings about or symbolizes physical healing, what we find is that the text never promises that. In fact, a cursory survey of oil in the Old Testament does not find oil connected to healing much at all, but rather to be a sign of prosperity and God’s favor. That is why the promised land is not only called a land of milk and honey, but also a land of oil and honey (Deuteronomy 8:8).

Oil was expensive and was used only in the rarest of ceremonies - for instance, the anointing of priests and kings. When the Psalmists speak of oil, they use it to signify wealth, blessing and happiness. Some well known examples are:

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:5-6).

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions (Psalm 45:6-7).

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies (Psalm 92:10-11).

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes (Psalm 133:1-2).

The Psalm perhaps most relevant to our discussion of James 5, and the confessing and forgiveness of sins is Psalm 141:

Let a righteous man strike me it is a kindness; let him rebuke me, it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it (Psalm 141:5).

Rebuke is considered to be oil - because it does a holy thing, leading to repentance. In fact, in Leviticus 14, oil is part of a ritual of cleansing from sin, which like the above Psalm, may also have bearing on James 5.

Given all this background in the Old Testament and oil’s connection to wealth and divine favor, when we turn to the New Testament, it is highly ironic that the sick and poor should then also be anointed with oil. But that is great reversal that the Gospel brings, as James (and Mary) has already argued.

To understand this, we have to understand what the oil surely promises in James 5 - and what it does not. The only other place that oil is connected to healing in the New Testament is Mark 6:12-13, when Jesus sends out his twelve disciples:

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

In these verses, the apostles did four things: 1) preached repentance; 2) drove out demons; 3) anointed many sick people with oil; and 4) healed them. Naturally, it appears that the healing comes by way of the oil, at least symbolically. But I don’t believe that is necessarily what is going on. Rather, I believe the sick were anointed with oil and healed, two separate actions, just as the text says.

What is important to note is that, save for the oil, these actions are precisely what Jesus did to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 1:15; 32-34). In Mark 6, Jesus expands the Kingdom even more by giving the same tasks to his twelve disciples (and then later even more by the sending of the seventy disciples in Luke 10).

But then a question must be asked - why is no oil mentioned in Jesus’ healing ministry? To answer that we must understand what first century Jews would have thought of when they saw the sick being anointed. Undoubtedly, it would have been the promise of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 61, a passage Jesus explicitly claims is about himself in Luke 4:16-20:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus needed no oil to symbolize the Good News. He is the Good News in the flesh. But his disciples did need oil, for they were not the Messiah. The apostles then anointed, not in their names, but in Jesus’ name., knowing that the oil represented the coming of the Messiah to the Jews.

They knew the verse immediately following the passage that Jesus read - the Messiah had come to bring the oil of gladness:

… comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3, emphasis added).

So as the Jews saw the most needy among them being anointed by oil in Jesus’ name, they likely would have thought of this passage from Isaiah 61. They would have understood that the apostles were claiming that the Messiah had come - and that the great reversal had begun.

They would see that the Good News was here - in their midst. It is no different for us today. That is what James 5 is about.

The Vocabulary of James 5: the ironic Gospel

So far, we have considered the context of James 5:14 and the symbolism of oil in Old and New Testaments. What then is promised to the sick in James 5:14-16? A close look at the vocabulary James employs is revealing:

And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:15-16a, RSV, emphasis added).

The word for “will save” in verse 15 is σώσει (root σῴζω), the same word used for spiritual salvation. It certainly can mean “heal” or “restore” as many translations render it (e.g. NASB, NIV). However, James’s promise is certain, yet we know that neither the Bible nor Christian experience guarantees that every faithful prayer results in earthly healing. To promise that is hardly encouraging to those who remain sick. It is literally the opposite of the Good News Jesus says he came to bring. It places the blame on the sick or the elders for not having “enough” faith.

Is it possible then that James is promising something different than physical healing, something far better? If we render σώσει simply as “saved,” as most translations do, then that seems likely. Moreover, we understand that σῴζω involves the whole of salvation, not just an individual’s initial justification by faith. Both Peter and Paul include sanctification and glorification as part of the scope of “salvation” (e.g. II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2).

Perhaps James is saying that when the sick humble themselves by coming before the elders for prayer, with faith, they may well be healed physically, but for certain, they will be saved eternally. They will be sanctified, made to grow in holiness in their time of trial. They will become more like Christ. Perhaps that will include immediate healing. Or perhaps not, as in the case of Paul (cf. II Corinthians 12:8-10).

God can and certainly does answer prayers for physical healing. None of this argues otherwise. Rather, I am arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God heals the body here sometimes according to his perfect will, how much greater is the promise of the New Heavens and the New Earth where there will be no more sin, sickness or sorrow.

In any case, the humble sick will be saved and sanctified - and so are given this sure promise by the elders of the church as a reminder of this Good News. As they are united to Christ, so they are already raised up in Him (cf. Ephesians 2:5-6). They are already exalted - even if in their earthly frames they do not see or feel it yet (cf. II Corinthians 4:7). The oil reminds us to live by faith in God’s promises, not by sight of our own present experience (cf. II Corinthians 4:16-18).

The sure promise that is ours is just what James says in verse 14b, “the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (emphasis added). The ill believer may know, whether he lives or dies, that he belongs to the Lord and will at the resurrection receive a new body that will never fail. That is sure and certain. That is Good News indeed.

That is why the sick are anointed with oil - a reminder of God’s eternal favor upon them in Christ, despite their current circumstance. God chooses what is weak in the world. Many who are last will be first. Those who mourn will be comforted. Another way of putting this is that physical healing is in fact guaranteed by the oil, but not necessarily now. But the faithful sick will be raised up. It is a promise.

This interpretation more readily explains why James turns rather seamlessly to the confession of sin. As discussed, he cannot be tying all illness to sin as a causal factor. But rather, whatever the condition of our bodies, believers are to seek to grow in holiness in every circumstance. Whether healthy or sick we are to humble ourselves by confessing our sins and receiving the assurance of God’s pardon and favor in Christ.

This is why we can also pray confidently in the name of Christ, knowing that by his life, death and resurrection, we are declared righteous. That is why James reminds us that, “the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (5:16). We pray for the sick, the needy and sinful, knowing that God delights to hear our prayers for the sake of his Son. In Christ, we are pardoned, we are forgiven, we are righteous.

In fact, this pardon of sin is the true healing - which, ironically, is exactly the word James uses in verse 16 - ἰαθῆτε - the normal word used in the Gospels for physical healing. So James appears to ironically switch the expected placement of “save” and “heal” in this text. He uses “save” when it comes to prayer for physical healing, and “heal” when it comes to prayer for the forgiveness of sins. This cannot be accidental.

Conclusion

It seems clear therefore that when the sick come to the elders for prayer, that the elders of the church are assuring the ill of God’s favor upon them through Christ. The favor is so sure they are to use oil as a tangible symbol. The promise of our resurrection in Christ is guaranteed, just as real as the oil dripping upon our face.

And so in their lowly state, the sick in Christ are yet given “the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” They are raised up with Christ.

This ministry then is far greater than we sometimes suppose - and far more needed. Let the seriously ill come to the elders asking for prayer. And let the elders of the church anoint the sick with the Gospel of God’s eternal favor. Though they are cast down in body, they are raised up in Christ, both now and forever. That is Good News.

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Christopher A. Hutchinson is the Senior Pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, VA and the author of Rediscovering Humility: Why The Way Up is Down.