James, the
“servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”, gave
instructions to his readers for those who were “afflicted”
or “merry” among them.
The afflicted were to “pray”, and the “merry”
were to “sing psalms”, and
in chapter five and verse fourteen of his letter, James turned
his attention toward those who were “sick” among his
readers where we read:
Is any
sick among you? 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:
The verse begins, “Is
any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church;”
James began
with the words, “Is any sick”
which is the Greek phrase “astheneō
tis astheneō
“ and means “people who are weak, feeble, without strength,
powerless, needy and poor” “among
you” which
refers to “the people within the
twelve tribes scattered abroad”?
“Let him call” or
“bid to oneself, summon or invite” “for
the elders”
which is the Greek word “presbyteros”
and refers to those who were “of age, advanced in life, seniors and
forefathers” “of the church”
which means “a company of Christians or those who hoping for
eternal salvation through Jesus Christ observe their own religious
rites, hold their own religious meetings and manage their own affairs
according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake ”.
People who were “sick”
among James' readers were to call upon the “elders”
in the church to help them.
The
verse continues, “and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord:” James
added, “and let them pray” or
“let the elders supplicate, worship and earnestly make prayer”
“over him” which
refers to “the one who is sick”, “anointing him”
which means “applying, coating and covering the sick person”
“with oil” or
“olive oil used for lamps, healing the sick and anointing the head
and body at feasts” “in the name”
which means “everything which the name covers and everything the
thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning,
hearing, remembering” “of the Lord”
who is “he to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has
power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”.
Once notified, the “elders”
within the church were not only to “pray over the sick”,
but also to “cover them” with “anointing” “oil”
in the “Lord's name”.
When
we consider these words of James, we understand two responsibilities
shared by him. The first is to the one who is “sick”. When
we are “sick” we are to notify the “elders”
within the church about our condition. The “elders” do not
know by osmosis who is “sick” within the church, and too
many times when people have wondered why someone from their church
hasn't seen about them or prayed for them, it is because they did not
know. The second responsibility is to the “elders” within
the church. When “elders” are notified of a parishioner's
sickness, they are to “pray” for them and “anoint”
them with “oil” in Jesus' name. Healing of the person is
according to God's sovereignty, and our part is obey the word of God
and leave the results unto Him. May the Lord lead us to knowing His
perfect plan when we are “sick”, and if we are “elders”,
let us be aware of our important and critical responsibilities.
Next
time James tells his readers what happens when “the
elders pray”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment