The prayer of a crucified criminal has great power

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. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit (James 5.14-18).

I wrote about this passage here, pointing out that “righteous” is not some great moral attainment, but any believing Christian. Having written about the criminal on the cross asking Jesus to remember him, I now realize that the story of his request and Jesus’ answer is a perfect example of what James is describing.

Does that surprise you?

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