The Transference of God's Anointing

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

(Acts 2:1-4)

In the previous section, we saw that the disciples experienced the tangible power of God flowing into their hands when our Lord gave them power to heal the sick and cast out demons. In this section, we want to discuss the very clear biblical truth of the transference of God's anointing—or power, if you will. Very often, the impartation of God's power is accomplished through physical contact, specifically the laying on of hands. This is not always the case, however, because there are numerous accounts in scripture that describe the Lord imparting His blessing to people directly from heaven. The passage quoted above is just such an account. In this passage, we see that our Lord Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and then poured out the Holy Spirit from heaven directly onto the saints on the Day of Pentecost.

Receiving the Holy Spirit Through the Laying on of Hands

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 8:14-17)

In this account, we have the record of the saints in Samaria being filled with the Holy Spirit through a different method. We see that they were filled with the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles' hands. In other words, the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was on the inside of Peter and John flowed through their hands into the saints when they prayed for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Clearly, there was a transference of anointing that took place on this occasion. In fact, in all the accounts in the book of Acts of the saints being filled with the Holy Spirit, the most common method used was through the laying on of hands.

Angels Also Transfer Anointing Through Touch

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

(Luke 22:43)

God's angels operate in a similar manner to the saints in the area of transferring anointing, for they also impart power through the laying on of hands. The passage above refers to the account in the Garden of Gethsemane when our Lord was praying as He was about to undergo suffering on the cross. At that time, God the Father sent an angel to Him who, when he had come, placed his hands on Jesus and imparted strength to Him. Clearly, there was a transference of anointing that took place on this occasion as well.

And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me." Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."

(Daniel 10:16-19)

Someone might ask, "I know that the Bible says the angel strengthened our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, but how do we know that he did so through the laying on of hands?" We know that the angel strengthened our Lord through the laying on of hands because in the account quoted above, the angel Gabriel did exactly that. In this account, the angel Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel in a vision. Because of the degree of power manifesting through the angel, Daniel's physical body couldn't cope with the exposure, and he fell to the ground as his body was completely overcome, retaining no strength in it. In response to Daniel's plight, the angel Gabriel stretched out his hand and touched Daniel, speaking words of strength into him and thus imparting strength to his body. Clearly, this is another account where there was a transference of anointing that took place through the laying on of hands.

Various Applications of Transferred Power

And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.

(Acts 28:8)

The transference of God's power that takes place through the laying on of hands has many and varied applications. For example, we have seen that people are filled with the Spirit through the laying on of hands. We have also seen that people can be strengthened through the laying on of hands. The passage quoted above reveals that the apostle Paul also prayed for people to be healed through the transference of the healing anointing as he laid hands on them. In this account, we see that Paul prayed for an unsaved man to be healed while simultaneously laying his hands on the man, which resulted in God's healing power flowing from Paul's hands into the man's body and healing him.

The Transfer of Anointing Through Objects

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)

We have already mentioned this passage in discussing the concept of the anointing residing in the hands of the believer. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to mention it in this section as well because this passage also illustrates the concept of the transference of anointing that takes place through the laying on of hands. We know that the healing anointing operated through Paul's ministry. When Paul prayed and laid his hands on those handkerchiefs and aprons, the anointing would flow out of his hands to be stored in those cloths. When those cloths were, in turn, laid on those needing healing—if they had faith—then that anointing would be released into their bodies and effect their healing.

You will recall that we read earlier where Jesus' clothes also carried the healing anointing, so that any who touched His garments in faith were healed as that healing power flowed into their bodies. Clearly, in both of these examples, we can see that there was a transference of anointing that took place from the person anointed with power, through a medium (cloth), to the ultimate recipient of that power, thus effecting healing in the individual.

The Residual Power of Anointing

Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

(2 Kings 13:20-21)

Another vivid example of how the anointing of God's power is transferred from one individual to the next is given to us in the passage quoted above. The background to this account is that Elisha the prophet had died and had been buried in a tomb. Scripture reveals that Elisha carried an unusually high dosage of God's power because he had received a double portion of the anointing that Elijah carried (2 Kings 2:9). Because Elisha had been anointed with such a high dosage of power, God's power had saturated his whole body. Eventually, Elisha died and was buried, and because of the passing of time, his body had decayed to the point where only his bones remained in the tomb.

After all that time, however, a residue of the anointing that was on him during his lifetime was still in his bones. When a certain dead man was lowered into Elisha's tomb because of a hasty burial, the moment the dead man's body touched the bones of Elisha, the dead man came back to life. Clearly, a transference of God's anointing took place on this occasion as well.

Michael E.B. Maher

Laying on of Hands

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