The holy anointing oil and olive oil are used by many Christians because they believe anointing oil has power. E faʻaaoga e Kerisiano le suauʻu mo ni faʻafitauli, faataitaiga, to consecrate someone into an office (faiva), faapaia fale, fale, ma mea faitino, to heal the sick, Tuli ese temoni, or for spiritual warfare. But is using anointing oil Biblical and is it part of the New Covenant or is this a custom that was practiced in the Old Covenant, which Christians adopted and applied to the New Covenant? What is the power and purpose of anointing oil in the Bible and how do you use it according to the Bible? Let’s look at what the Bible says about anointing oil and look at the lives of Jesus and the apostles and see if they used anointing oil.
The use and purpose of the holy anointing oil in the Old Covenant
In Exodus 30, we read about the composition and the purpose of the holy anointing oil. Moses was commanded by God to prepare the holy anointing oil and to anoint the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
Moses had to sanctify them so that they would be most holy. Whatsoever touched them would be holy (however an unauthorized person was not allowed to touch them. (Faitau foi: The reason why Uzza died).
Moses also had to anoint Aaron and his sons Ma faapaiaina i latou, so that they could minister unto the Lord in the priest’s office. The holy anointing oil was used throughout generations.
Ae peitai, God specifically commanded that this holy anointing oil could not be used to pour upon man’s flesh.
Neither was it allowed to make any other like it, after the composition of it, because it was holy. O lea la. it would be holy unto them.
If someone would compound any like it, or put the anointing oil upon a stranger (unauthorized person), o le a vavaeeseina o ia mai i lona nuu (Esoto 30:22-33).
Ua ta'u mai e lenei mea ia i tatou, o le uu paia e faauuina ai sa na o le faaaogāina mo le auaunaga paia a Ieova ma faauuina ai (faapaiaina) o le (maualuga)ositaulaga(s), fale fetafai, ma meafaitino ma mea faitino, lea sa faaaogā mo le galuega a le Alii.
E leʻi faatagaina le uu paia e faauuina ai e uu ai le tino o se tagata (o se tagata ese) ma sa faasaina ona faaluaina le suauu faauuina.
Why did people make a trade of the holy anointing oil?
Afai o afioga ia a le Atua, then why have people made a trade of the holy anointing oil and sell them to make a profit?
There a people that make a holy anointing oil after the composition that is written in the Bible and pretend that this oil has supernatural (faamalologa) mana.
E toʻatele Kerisiano ua paʻuʻū i le mailei o lenei pepelo. Latou te talitonu i upu a le tagata ma faatau mai le suauu e faauuina ai, believing that the oil has power
They believe and buy this holy anointing oil, only because they are ignorant of the truth. Many Christians don’t read and study the Bible themselves but blindly believe everything that is preached by people.
And so they buy the oil and anoint everything and everyone, who comes their way. Because they believe that the oil has supernatural (faamalologa) mana. They believe that by using this miraculous oil they unleash special powers that will heal the sick, deliver people from demonic oppression, and cleanse houses, fale, and objects from demonic powers.
All because of aoaoga faavae sese, they believe that when they anoint something or someone with oil, the devils will flee.
Did Jesus use anointing oil?
When we look at Jesus Christ, O ai le Ulumatua o le foafoaga fou, and His life on earth, we don’t read anything about Jesus walking around with a vial or bottle of anointing oil.
Did Jesus use anointing oil to anoint people, mea faitino, fale, and buildings? Leai. Jesus came in the Name of His Father: in the authority of His Father and spoke His words. Every word that proceeded out of Jesus’ ua taunuu le gutu.
Did Jesus anoint His disciples with oil before Jesus sent them forth two by two? Leai, Na tuuina atu e Iesu i Ona soo le pule ma le mana i luga o agaga leaga ma faamalolo ai ma’i (le vaivai).
Na auina atu i latou e Iesu e talaʻi ma aumai le Malo o le Atua i tagata o le Atua ma valaau atu ia i latou ia salamo. Matou te le faitau, that Jesus commanded His disciples to take a vial or bottle of oil with them to anoint houses or people (Mataio 10:1-15, Mareko 6:7-13, Luka 9:1-6).
Ae peitai, e ui lava e leʻi fetalai Iesu i se mea e uiga i le uu faʻauʻu poʻo le uuina o tagata mamaʻi i le suauu, tatou te faitau ai i le talalelei a Mareko na faauuina e le au soo le toatele o e mamai (vaivai) ma le suauu, ma faamaloloina i latou.
O le māfuaaga e foliga mai na latou faauuina ai ē mamaʻi i le suāuu, na mafua ona o le faauuina i le suauu o se tu masani i le tele o aganuu. I atunuu e pei o Aikupito, Saina, Initia , Greece, ma Italia o se tu masani le uu pe faalumaina se tasi, o lē na ma‘i, ma le suauu.
O se mea moni, tatou te faitau ai e uiga i lenei tu i le faataoto i le Samaria. Ina ua alu atu le Samaria i le tagata manua, na ia fusifusia ona manua, liligiina le suāuu ma le uaina (Luka 10:30-35). Sa faaaogā le suāuu olive e fai ma masani faafomaʻi.
Pea lava, E leʻi faauuina e Iesu se fale, fale, mea faitino, po o tagata e iai le suauu. E leʻi faauuina e Iesu tagata mamaʻi i le suāuu, e lei poloaiina foi e Iesu Ona soo e faia faapea.
O le tofiga sili ma le suauu faauuina
Before Jesus ascended to heaven and took His place on the throne at the right hand of the Father, Na tuuina atu e Iesu le tofiga sili i Ona soo. This commission wasn’t only meant for the disciples that were present, but for all the disciples of Jesus that would come after them and mulimuli ia Iesu. Jesus commanded all believers to go.
Ina ua fetalai Iesu i Ona soo, E leʻi taʻua e Iesu le suāuu faauuina po o le faauuina o se tasi po o se mea i le suauu.
E leʻi faatonuina e Iesu Ona soo e faauuina se tagata i le suāuu e tuu i se tofi (faiva) ma ia faapaiaina pe faapaiaina le tagata. E leʻi poloaʻia foʻi e Iesu e faauuina fale po o fale po o le faauuina o se tagata, o ai na ma’i pe vaivai, ma le suauu.
Sa poloaiina e Iesu Ona soo e faaee lima i luga o e mama’i ina ia latou toe malosi (Mareko 16:18)
O le au aposetolo ma le suauu faauuina i le Feagaiga Fou
Although Peter was one of the twelve disciples that was sent by Jesus on a mission and apparently anointed the sick (le vaivai, vaivai) ma le suauu, when Peter became a new creation full of the Holy Spirit, we don’t read anywhere that Peter anointed people that were sick or weak with oil.
The first healing that took place after Jesus ascended to heaven and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, o le faamalologa lea o le tagata pipili, o lē na taoto i le faitoto‘a o le malumalu.
When Peter and John went to the temple, and a lame man asked them for alms, E lei tago Peteru i lana fagu suauu e uu ai o ia.
Leai, sa faamaloloina le tagata e Peteru faatuatua i le Suafa o Iesu.
Sa talitonu Peteru i le galuega atoatoa o le togiola ma le pule a Iesu Keriso (Galuega 3:16).
A o iai Peteru i Lita, na te le‘i fa‘aaogaina le suāu‘u e fa‘au‘u ai ē mama‘i, ae sa Ia faamaloloina Enea, o lē na ma‘i i le supa, i le faatuatua i le Suafa o Iesu (Galuega 9:34).
Sa faia foi e Peteru le mea lava e tasi i Iopa, lea na toe faatuina ai Tapita nai e ua oti i le faatuatua i le Suafa o Iesu (Gaoioi 9:40-41).
Did Paul and the other apostles use oil to anoint the sick, fale, fale, po o mea faitino?
Paul and the other apostles didn’t use oil either to anoint people that were sick or weak, fale, fale, po o mea faitino.
Ina ua tusia e Paulo na tusi uma i ekalesia, matou te le faitau i se mea e uiga i le poloaiina o le au paia e faauuina toeaina, tiakono, the sick or weak, fale, fale po'o meafaitino ma suau'u.
E oo lava i tusi, which Paul wrote to the carnal church in Corinth.
The new creation is spiritual and received the Holy Spirit
Ona o lena, e ala i toefaamaumau, ua avea i latou ma foafoaga fou, o lona agaga na toe tu mai i e ua oti. O lea la, O le Ekalesia (O le Fono Aoao o Fa Fanau Na Fanau (fatuga fou)) ua avea ma faaleagaga.
They didn’t need any natural resources or perform all kinds of visible religious rituals to make the spiritual visible to the carnal man as in the Old Covenant.
Sa fesootai i latou i le agaga e le Agaga Paia ma Iesu Keriso ma le Tama. That’s why they walked just like Jesus (o le Ulumatua o le foafoaga fou) I lana pule.
The only thing they had to remember and keep was the mafutaga, whereby they remembered their Lord Jesus and were partakers of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What about anointing the sick with oil in James 5:14-15?
I Iakopo 5:14-15, we read about the practice of anointing a sick person with oil. It’s the only time in the apostolic letters that we read about the use of oil and anointing a person with oil.
Is any sick (vaivai) among you? Ia valaau atu o ia i toeaina o le ekalesia; ma ia latou tatalo mo ia, fa‘au‘u ‘iā te ia i le suāu‘u i le suafa o le Ali‘i: ma o le tatalo o le faatuatua e faaolaina ai e mamai, ma o le a faatuina o ia e le Alii (Iakopo 5:14-15).
.
James wrote this letter to the twelve tribes of Israel that were scattered abroad.
James commanded them to call upon the elders when someone among them was sick (vaivai) and to pray over that person and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord.
Ae peitai, although this practice of anointing the sick with oil was done by the elders, the anointing oil didn’t have supernatural power.
The anointing oil and the practice of anointing the sick with oil had nothing to do with healing. Aua i le isi fuaiupu, ua tusia, o le tatalo o le faatuatua o le a faaolaina ma faamaloloina ai le tagata.
I se isi faaupuga, by faith in the Name of Jesus and by believing in His perfect work of salvation (that He was scourged at the whipping post and took all infirmities and diseases upon Him and carried all the sins and iniquity of the world on the cross, ma maliu ma ulufale atu i Hades, where He conquered death and rose from the dead as Overcomer, O ai le pule uma i le lagi ma le lalolagi), na faaolaina ma faamaloloina le tagata. (a.o. Isaia 53:4-5, 1 Peteru 2:24, Faaaliga 1:18).
Do Christians have more faith in oil than in the Name of Jesus?
Fai mai le Tusi Paia, ina ia avea i tatou faapei o lo tatou Alii ma le Matai o Iesu Keriso (Mataio 10:25, Efeso 4:15). Pe ana le faaaogaina e Iesu le suauu e faauuina ai, e tatau ona tatou fesili ifo ia i tatou lava pe tatau ona tatou faaaogaina le suauu e faauuina ai.
O se mea faanoanoa, o le toatele o Kerisiano e sili atu lo latou faatuatua i le suauu ma manatu i ai o se fofo nai lo le Suafa o Iesu.
If Christians would wake up and become aware of Who lives inside of them, and what position and power (pule) they have received in Jesus Christ, ‘ona latou lē toe pa‘i atu lea i se suāu‘u.
O le faatuatua e le tatau ona i ai i le suauu ae ia Iesu Keriso ma Lona Suafa. Ua na o le faatuatua i le Suafa o Iesu ma galuega e maua mai i lena faatuatua, o le a siitia mauga.
If Christians believe that the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit dwells inside of them, aisea la latou te manaomia ai le suauu?
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
