Look, YOU believe Jesus was instituting a sacrament. Fine. Feel free to show me where any of the Apostles exercised it in the manner you discuss.
I’ve given the examples I could find of Jesus telling someone their sins were forgiven. If we are to do likewise, then He was sending the disciples to proclaim the Good News.
The passage is about evangelism, not a sacrament for priests. I’ve also explained WHY that makes sense.
That is your interpretation. It means what it says, not what any private interpretation claims it means.
In James 5:16, he clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins. Then again, we know from the early church fathers how the early communities applied the teachings they were taught.
“In church confess your sins, and do not come to your prayer with a guilt conscience. Such is the Way of Life...On the Lord's own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure." Didache, 4:14,14:1 (c. A.D. 90).