The oil used for anointing is not a magic oil. It is the common olive
oil that is widely used for medicinal purposes. There is no great gap between
physical and spiritual healing. They must happen together. The oil gains its
real power from the touch of human hands that apply it, that reach across pain
and loneliness to reestablish communion. Likewise, prayer is not simply words
said to God, but prayer “over” the sick person, a summons from the community
that is willing to share its life and strength, its faith, with the one who is
weak and whose sickness has probably also weakened his own faith and
confidence. The community, through its elders, shares its faith by gathering
together and supporting the sick person both physically and spiritually in the
time of crisis. (Luke Timothy Johnson, The Letter of James: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary,
[AYB 37A; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008], 343)
