Chillin' with James

Like I said in my last post, I have been chewing on James 5:13-16. There is so much more to it going through my head than will ever make it down on paper or blog. But, here is a little bit of what I think. The first part consists of a series of notes and commentary that I developed from researching the Greek words and meanings. So, by itself, that section may not make much sense. But, it gives the thought proccess for how I arrived at my interpretation of the passage at the end of this post. If nothing else, digging through this passage helps me tremendously. So, if it only confuses you, then at least it wasn't totally in pointless.

James 5:13-16 "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and annoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective."

The states of a believer and the proper response

In Trouble - v.13 kakopatheo meaning "enduring hardship, to suffer trouble"
Trouble, here, is very vague. But it's vague for a good reason. James does not say, "do you have financial trouble" or "is any one of you having marital trouble?" James leaves specifics behind because prayer is essential in all trouble. A Christian is to pray through every sort of trouble that comes his way. Prayer does not equal the end to hardship. However, prayer is the most powerful mechanism we have to get through hardship.

Happy - v.13 euthymeo meaning "to keep up one's courage, to be cheerful"
A result of happiness in a believer should be to sing praises to God, we call these hymns or worship songs. These are to be sung because of the state of one's life and heart being reconciled to God. Happiness does not come from circumstance, it comes from something deeper, something from the heart. If to be happy means to have courage or to be cheerful, there is an implication that circumstance is irrelevant. One may be cheerful if in a situation that requires no courage. Likewise, one can be courageous, but not necessarily cheerful. The Greek form of happy means to be cheerful while maintaining courage, or faith. A good example of true happiness, of a state of euthymeo, is in Acts 16:25, where Paul and Silas are imprisoned: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." Moments later, the prison quakes violently and the doors fly open. A heart truly happy, one courageously faithful and one cheerful, despite circumstance, prompts God's response.

Sick - v.14 astheneo meaning "to be weak, invalid, or powerless"
The context of this verse rules out that the word "sick" refers to physical health. God gives people talents and gifts so that they may use them to solve problems. To some he gives the ability to speak well, or to others physical strength. And to others, God gives the ability to understand medicine and to be innovative in its application. We call these people doctors. But James does not say that if you are sick, then you should call a doctor. Doctors deal with physical matters, but "elders of the church" deal with spiritual matters. Since James tells a sick man to call the elders, he must then be referring to those who are spiritually weak, invalid, or powerless. In addition, the following verses speak of sinning, forgiveness, confession, prayer and healing--all spiritual matters.

Well - v.15 sozo meaning "to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, and by extension to be in right relationship with God"
A spiritually sick person (remember, James is talking about believers) is weak and often powerless. The idea is that sick here is the opposite of well, and wellness is the aim of the believer. To be well, or healed is the reward of a "prayer offered in faith." As the instance with Paul and Silas in prison and Scripture overall show us, faith moves God. The response a believer is to have in states of trouble, happiness, and sickness is to have faith. So, in good times and bad, faith is the answer. Faith leads to healing. But there is more.

Healed - v.16 iaomai meaning "to be healed, freed"
To traverse from sickness to health, or being well, James says, "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other." The healing comes when believers support each other and faithfully rely on God together. Confession and prayer are the key ways for believers to support one another and find healing for each other. The healing we are to receive through confession and prayer is freedom.

Righteous - v.16 dikaios meaning "upright, one who is in proper relationship with God, in accord with God's standards"
The implication of this passage is that elders of a church and those a spiritually sick person confides in to receive prayer to become well are people who live in accordance with God's standards. You don't visit a dentist if you have a heart problem. Likewise, you do not trust a spiritually weak or incapable person to help you become well.



Here is my interpreted version of James 5:13-16:

Is any one of you enduring hardship or suffering any sort of trouble? Then it is essential that he pray to make it through the trials. Is anyone truly happy and strong in faith? Then he should sing to God no matter the circumstance. Is anyone feeling weak, invalid or powerless spiritually? Then he needs to call the those who live upright and in accordance with God's standards and confess openly the sins in his life. Then, when believers pray over him, he will be healed, and he will be freed. Therefore, it is vital that believers trust each other through open confession and support one another with faithful prayer so that freedom and life in Christ can be lived to the full. The prayers of righteous believers prompt God's response.