Shadows of Anointing of the Sick, by John Carberry

One of the most direct discussions in Sacred Scripture of the nature of suffering comes
from the Book of Job. The just man, Job, loses his possessions, his family and finally his health.
As his friends attempt to analyze the causes of his sufferings, God, in the end, refutes their ability
to comprehend his will. The story of Job is in a sense a foretelling of the Passion of Christ,1 a
man who is blameless, upright, fearing God and avoiding evil (Jb 1:8) who is forced to undergo
suffering.

The Old Testament foreshadows the New with examples of physical healings. Elisha
brings the son of the Shunammite women back to life (2 Kgs 4:20-37) and heals Naaman of his
leprosy (2 Kgs 5:10-14). Isaiah, sometimes called “the Fifth Gospel,” or “the Gospel of the Old
Testament,”2 prophesies that the sick will be healed, and the sinners will be forgiven (Is 33:24).
God answers the prayer of Hezekiah and restores years of life to him (Is 38:1-8, 2 Kgs 20:1-11).
God will bind up our wounds and heal our bruises (Is 30:26, Hos 6:1, Ps 147:3), restore our
health and heal our injuries (Jer 30:17, 33:6, Is 57:18). God enlightens the physician (Sir 38:1-2,
6-8) and makes the healing medicine (Sir 38:4-5, Ez 47:12). The blind shall see, the ears of the
deaf will be opened, the mute shall speak, and the lame shall leap (Is 29:18, 35:5-6, 42:18, Ps
146:7).

Sickness was often associated with sin. If a person got sick, it often implied that he had
done wrong. God would keep the righteous man healthy and heal him of any infirmities (Ex
15:26). If one followed the commandments, he would live a long life and prosper (Ex 23:25-26,
Dt 11:8-9, 18-27, Ps 38:1-23). But God would curse or discipline the Israelites if they disobeyed
the Commandments (Dt 8:5, 19-20, 11:28, Ps 38:4-5, 39:12, 50:16-17). If obedient, God would
heal them of their sins and their afflictions (Ps 107:17-20). The Israelite prayed to God for
healing (Ps 6:3, 38:1-23, Is 38:5) and for forgiveness (Ps 32:4, 38:23, 39:9, 107:20) which were
so interconnected that their meaning could often be interchanged.

John Carberry is the author of Parables: Catholic Apologetics Through Sacred Scripture
(2003) and Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (2023).

1 John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris (Salvific Suffering), 11.
2 John Paul II, Dominum Et Vivificantem (Lord and Giver or Life), 15.