|
by
Doug Ward |
In his epistle to early Jewish followers of Jesus, James instructs,
"Is anyone 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 (Jas
5:14).
James
does not give much explanation of this practice of anointing and prayer, an
indication that his original audience was familiar with it. There is further
evidence of its familiarity in the fact that when Jesus had sent the twelve to
minister "two by two," they had "anointed with oil many who were
sick and healed them" (Mk 6:13).
Olive
oil had both practical and sacred uses in the Jewish world of the first
century. In the anointing described in James 5:14, oil presumably functioned
both as a medicine and as a symbolic element. It is worthwhile to consider the
symbolism of the ritual.
The
Temple at Jerusalem had a holy anointing oil with a special recipe. No recipe
is mentioned for the oil in James 5, but this oil also served a holy temple
composed of the entire body of Christian believers (Eph 2:21; 1 Co 3:17). The
practice described in James 5:14 is for "anyone" in the community of
faith-rich or poor, male or female, old or young, with no one excluded. Those
who are sick often feel cut off from fellowship. The coming of the elders
symbolically brings the sufferer in closer connection with the community and
with God.
In
both past and present applications of the ritual, oil is applied to the face of
the sufferer, making the person's face shine. As we read in Psalm 104:15, God
gives "wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and
bread to strengthen man's heart." This is appropriate for someone who is
seeking God in prayer. As Psalm 34:5 says, "Those who look to him are
radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."
Those
with shining faces look happy, a reflection of an inner state of joy that comes
when one is brought into the presence of God. Jesus the Messiah, whom God has
anointed "with the oil of gladness" (Ps 45:7; cf. Heb 1:9), came to
bring that oil of gladness to the world (Isa 61:3).
|
Like
Moses |
James in his epistle points to the examples of heroes and heroines
of faith like Abraham, Elijah, Rahab, and Job. Through the symbolism of a
shining face, the anointing ritual of James 5:14 connects participants with
Moses, Israel's great leader and lawgiver.1
Moses enjoyed a particularly close relationship with God. As God explained to
Moses' siblings Miriam and Aaron, "With him I speak mouth to mouth,
clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord" (Nu
12:8).
People
are transformed by close contact with God, and those transformations can
include concrete physical changes.2 In Moses'
case, contact with God on Mount Sinai caused his face to shine visibly (Ex
34:29-35). During the time before the construction of Israel's tabernacle in
the wilderness, Moses' shining face provided tangible evidence that God was
with the children of Israel, even after the sin of the golden calf.
With
his radiant visage, Moses stood out from his fellow Israelites, many of whom
"were afraid to come near him" (Ex 34:30). For the benefit of these
people, Moses began to wear a veil. Sadly, their fear may have reflected their
spiritual condition. John would later write that "everyone who does wicked
things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be
exposed" (Jn 3:20).
|
New
Testament Shining Faces |
Stephen, one of the first deacons of the church, also exhibited a
shining face. When he gave his powerful testimony, those who heard him
"saw that his face was like the face of an angel" (Ac 6:15). Like
Moses he was in close relationship with God, being "full of faith and of
the Holy Spirit" (Ac 6:5; 7:55). Stephen's testimony emphasized that
inheriting the Promised Land, receiving the Torah, and building the Jerusalem
Temple were by themselves no substitute for walking with God and experiencing
his presence.
The
apostle Paul agrees with Stephen in 2 Corinthians 3. The covenant at Sinai was
glorious, as evidenced by the shining face of Moses, but that glory is far
surpassed by the greatness of the New Covenant. Many in ancient Israel were not
ready to experience too much of God's glory, necessitating the veil over Moses'
face. But in the New Covenant, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of
glory to another" (2 Co 3:18).
There
are a variety of English translations of 2 Corinthians 3:18. Many translations
speak of Christians "beholding the glory of the Lord." Some others
(e.g., NET, LEB) say "reflecting the glory of the Lord." A third
rendering (NASB) is "looking as in a mirror at the glory of the
Lord." In any translation, Christians are transformed by the presence of
God.
We
can also look forward to greater glory in the future. As Paul writes elsewhere,
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in
part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known" (1 Co
13:12).
The
practice of anointing and prayer for the sick thus possesses great meaning. The
prayers of the elders bring the suffering person into the presence of Jesus the
Messiah, one whose face is "like the sun shining in its full
strength" (Rev 1:16). Close fellowship with God and the congregation leads
to joy and transformation, as symbolized by the shining face created by the
oil. Further glory awaits the community of faith in the future.
1See David H. Wenkel,
"A New Reading of Anointing with Oil in James 5:14: Finding First-Century
Common Ground in Moses' Glorious Face," Horizons in Biblical Theology
35 (2013), 166-180.
2See
David H. Wenkel, Shining Like the Sun: A Biblical Theology of Meeting God
Face to Face, Weaver Book Company, 2016.
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On 21 Aug 2024, 14:13.
