Laying on of Hands

There are certain practices that have been ingrained into our lives, so much that they seem vital and inviolable. We think we can't do without them, especially when they are religious rites. Sometimes, they are so symbolic that we become emotionally and even intellectually connected to them.

In Christianity, laying on of hands is one of such rites. We lay hands to heal the sick. We lay hands to ordain people into leadership roles. We lay hands to impart supernatural graces of the Holy Spirit on others. As a matter of fact, laying on of hands, appears to have become a sacred act that dignifies the person, position and performance of the clergy. It's the means of impartation of power or virtue. It, in a way, validates the preacher and authenticates the ministration.

With the implementation of the guidelines for reopening worship centres, the imposition of hands will have to take on a new form. To lay hands, you'll have to wear gloves. "Sacrilegious! This is the abomination of desolation." Another ecclesiatical outburst against the "bedevilled" guidelines. Perhaps the gloves would hinder the outflow of the anointing. Probably, there's a mystery about the imposition of hands that's yet to be unveiled to some us.

What's really the fuss about? Laying on of hands isn't a magic formula and it does not, as some claim, automatically confer grace. So what, if we now have to wear gloves to lay hands?  What if we were told not to lay hands at all, would that stop healing from taking place? Or does imposing hands in appointing church officers make them extraordinary, without the actual imbuement of the Spirit? 

Yes, Jesus told his disciples, that they would lay hands on sick people and they'll become healthy (Mark 16:18). But Jesus spoke in the indicative, not in the imperative, meaning, laying on of hands isn't a command or an ordinance like the holy communion. He was merely forecasting what the disciples will experience in the foreseeable future. As a Jew, Jesus himself practiced laying on of hands (Mar 5:23; Mat 9:18), and so did the apostles.

Laying on of hands was in effect the fourth element or principle of the Jewish religion, which was borrowed into Christianity. Jews practiced the laying on of hands on a great variety of occasions (Lev 16:21; Lev 24:14; Num 8:12). And as Christianity grew out of Judaism, the ritual was carried over. However, the writer of Hebrews classified the act as an elementary doctrine of Christ (6:2). In other words, laying on of hands belongs to the ABCs of Christianity. There's a higher level.

The Roman centurion understood this level, when Jesus obliged to go over to his house to heal his paralyzed servant. He answered Jesus,  "Sir, you don't have to come to my house, just say the word and my servant will be healed" (Matt 8:8). Jesus was awed at the insight and faith of the Roman officer (v.10). On a higher level, healing or the transmission of the Spirit's power or grace doesn't need any personal contact.

"He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave" (Ps 107:20). Those fussing about wearing gloves to lay hands, should stop throwing tantrums and move on to maturity ( Heb 6:1).