The Anointing in Hands

Why Is It Called "Laying On of Hands"?

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

(Mark 16:17-18)

The doctrine is called "laying on of hands" not only because it is more practical to use our hands than any other part of our bodies, but also because the anointing to minister resides in our hands. This is why, in the passage quoted above, the Lord Jesus instructed His church to lay their hands on the sick so that they could recover.

Many of those anointed to minister to the sick speak of experiencing a burning sensation in their hands when the anointing comes upon them to minister. In my own case, the power of God feels as if raw electricity is flowing through my hands. However, it is not only for ministering to the sick that we use our hands. As I mentioned earlier, I have witnessed a prophet who could only minister the word of knowledge through the laying on of hands. He is not alone in this experience—many other ministers of the gospel have similar testimonies. Their gifts will not operate unless they lay hands on the individual. Thus, we see that the Holy Spirit often uses the laying on of hands to activate the gift in the person operating in that gift.

The Anointing in the Hands

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

(Acts 19:11-12)

To emphasize the truth that the anointing resides in the hands of the believer, the Holy Spirit records this passage of scripture for us. In this passage, He specifically mentions that God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul. The Holy Spirit could just as easily have said that God worked unusual miracles by Paul, but He chose to mention the miracles being performed by the hands of Paul to draw our attention to the fact that the anointing resides in the hands of the believer.

In the example given above, Paul would have laid his hands on the various handkerchiefs and aprons that were brought to him and prayed over them. When Paul did this, the anointing in Paul's hands would have flowed into those materials to be stored there until they were laid on the individuals needing healing and deliverance. The moment that happened, the anointing stored in those cloths would have flowed into the bodies of the individuals needing ministry and effected the desired healing. I want you to note that the flow of anointing started in Paul's hands.

The Impartation of Power and the Use of Oil

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts--but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

(Mark 6:7-13)

As an aside, there is a specific truth we can learn regarding the impartation of God's power from this passage. The scripture tells us that our Lord gave the disciples power. So how did He do that? He did that by laying His hands on them and imparting the same anointing that was on Him into their hands. In other words, the disciples would have felt the tangible power of God flow from Jesus' hands into their hands.

Kenneth E. Hagin, in recounting a similar experience he had when our Lord appeared to him, tells of the Lord Jesus placing His finger in the palms of each of his hands. The moment our Lord did that, Kenneth's hands began to have a burning sensation in them. This is how the disciples would have known that they had received power to heal the sick, and they could therefore go out in full assurance that the sick would be healed through their laying on of hands.

The main point I wanted to mention from this passage, however, is that the disciples also used oil to heal the sick. On numerous occasions in scripture, oil is used as a type of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thus, in this passage we learn another important truth regarding the ministry of laying on of hands. Although it is not specifically stated, this passage nevertheless reveals to us that our Lord Jesus also healed the sick by anointing them with oil.

How do we know this? We know this because before our Lord Jesus sent His disciples out to minister healing to the sick, He taught them how to do it. The scripture tells us that the disciples "anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them." The reason the disciples practiced that method of healing was because Jesus would have told them to do it and would have also shown them how to do it. Clearly, therefore, we can see from this passage that oil is also used as a biblical mechanism to heal the sick. It is important to note, however, that there were no special healing properties in the oil that the disciples used.

The Purpose of Oil in Healing

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 heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

(James 5:14-15)

Why did the Lord Jesus use oil from time to time to heal the sick? The answer is that, just as with our hands, when oil is poured on an individual to receive their healing, it is used purely as a point of contact so that the person being prayed for can release their faith to receive their healing.

Many times (not always), when people experience the tangible healing power of God entering their bodies, it feels like a warm liquid coming over them. In the natural, oil has a similar feeling as it flows over the individual. Thus, oil is used in the natural to help people release their faith in the spirit.

In the passage quoted above, the apostle James tells the elders of the church to anoint the sick with oil when they pray for them. James learned that method of healing from the Lord Jesus. But I want you to notice from this passage that the Holy Spirit teaches us that it is still the prayer of faith that heals the sick, not the oil. The reason for this is that the oil is used purely as an aid for the person to be able to release their faith and thus be healed.

Michael E.B. Maher

Laying on of Hands

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