Have you ever given any thought to the phrase in James 5 that mentions “anointing with oil” in the context of prayer for healing?  Because we’re reading this in the context of a culture where “anointing with oil” is not really something we do, we tend to associate it with the prayer itself and not give it much thought beyond that.

But anointing with oil is connected with healing in previous Scriptural references.  Leviticus 14 describes the ritual process by which a formerly leprous individual was declared “clean.”  The final step of this process includes the anointing of the individual with oil by the priest.  (Note particularly Leviticus 14:15-18.)

We also see the disciples anointing the sick with oil and healing them.  (Mark 6:13)

These are just a few glimpses, but anointing with oil does seem to be connected with healing.  (By that I don’t mean that it is, in every circumstance, related to healing, but that it is not unusual for it to be closely tied to healing.)  It may well be that this is merely a symbolic connection – that individuals are symbolically being declared, by the anointing with oil, to be “clean” or “healed.”  However, it is also possible that the oil itself is meant to be healing.

Traditionally, plant oils were used for healing.  People understood the healing properties of a vast number of plants and plant derivatives, because we hadn’t come to rely on man-made chemicals that can be patented for financial gain.  So is it possible that the early church was combining common sense/common knowledge regarding physical support for healing and spiritual support through prayer?

It’s interesting to think about!