What is the laying on of hands all about?
What does the Bible teach about “the laying on of hands,” and how should this ancient ritual function, or not, in the church today? Like anointing with oil , much confusion often surrounds these outward signs which the New Testament has very little (but something) to say. Like fasting, the laying on of hands and anointing with oil go hand in hand with prayer and healing. Because of the way God has made the world, and wired our own hearts, on certain special occasions we reach for something tangible, physical, and visible to complement or serve as a sign of, what is happening invisibly and what we’re capturing with invisible words. Before turning to what the New Testament teaches about the laying on of hands today, let’s first get our bearings by looking at how this practice arose, functioned, and developed in the story of God’s people . Old Testament Foundations Throughout the Bible, we find both positive and negative senses of “the laying on of hands ,” as well as “general” (eve