The Laying on of Hands
The laying on of hands is a prophetic gesture. A prophetic gesture is a physical act done in the natural that releases a spiritual reality. It is responding to God’s voice in order to enact a spiritual shift over a person or situation at any given moment.
The Old Testament uses natural concepts, situations, characters, phenomenon, and objects to foreshadow Jesus and the inauguration of His kingdom (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1). Natural realities in the Old Testament foreshadow the spiritual realities of the New Testament. The laying on of hands in the Old Testament foreshadows the priestly authority and power of believers under the New Covenant.
In the Old Testament, the laying on of hands is used to pronounce blessing, or as a ritualistic gesture to separate and consecrate dead animals for sacrificial purposes. The priests would lay their hands on the head of the slain animal as a sign of identification with the animal before performing the sacrifice. We see this several times in the Old Testament.
In the New Testament, the laying on of hands continues to be associated with the conferment of blessing or commission, but also becomes associated with the activation or transference of God’s power. The laying on of hands now imparts spiritual gifts - including healing miracles and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. How would the early Christian church, built upon the culture of the Jewish people, have understood the laying on of hands in the new covenant? How does the laying on of hands under the old covenant relate to the impartation of the Spirit in the new?
The answer lies in the fact that Christ is the final ritual sacrifice for sin, our Passover lamb slain for all (1 Corinthians 5:7). On the Cross, Jesus represented all of humanity. All died with him, and all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). When we accept Jesus, we step into believing the reality that the resurrected Christ lives in you. Christ is in you, and you are united with Him.
When I lay hands on someone, I am symbolically and prophetically recognizing the Christ-life in that person. This physical gesture of identifying with the indwelling Christ releases something in the Spirit. I am using my authority and anointing as a new covenant priest (Revelation 1:6) to call forth the reality of Christ and His kingdom in and over that person. The laying on of hands is a physical gesture that releases spiritual shifts and ushers God’s Presence in both the spiritual and natural realms. It is a prophetic gesture. In the New Testament, the laying on of hands is most frequently associated with healing or the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We are a royal priesthood that release the spiritual power and authority of the King (1 Peter 2:9). As we use this privilege to heal, impart, and commission wherever we go, we will see the kingdom of heaven advance on earth.
