“And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” Luke 6:19
In Luke 6:19 it says the power “went out” from Jesus. It had movement. The power that went out apparently also “went in” because people received the power and were healed. Look at Mark 5, a diseased woman reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ clothes, believing she would be healed if she could touch Him, and she was healed. In verse 30 it says, “And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My clothes?’” Jesus knew the power had moved from Him into someone else. She identified herself, and He blessed her. In Acts 19:11-12, people brought pieces of fabric to the Apostle Paul. When the cloths touched Paul’s skin and then were brought to the sick, the sick were healed. The power of God is tangible and transferable.
In the Bible, the power of God is also known as the anointing. When someone was anointed in the Bible, typically they would pour and rub oil on a person’s head. The purpose was to identify and consecrate a person for service, such as king. The actual oil was illustrative of the Holy Spirit flowing on and over a person. Other illustrations of the Holy Spirit are usually elements with movement, such as fire or water. Jesus, in John 7:38 referred to the Holy Spirit when He said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” The flow of water is descriptive of the Holy Spirit and the anointing. When the power of God is present, it is tangible. It flows from the Holy Spirit either directly to us or through another believer touching us with their hands. This is why Jesus told us in Mark 16 to lay hands on the sick. When we lay hands on the sick, the anointing is transferred. They can receive that power and be healed.
In Luke 6:19 it says, “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him.” The crowd was pressing in to touch Jesus because they understand the power was tangible and transferrable. As Spirit-filled believers, the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of us. He is the source of power, and He is ready for us to give our attention to spiritual matters and tap into what He wants to do. To transfer the anointing to someone in need, to minister to their need, we can lay hands on them and declare God’s will to be done. As they respond in faith, they can receive that anointing and a miracle can occur in their life. The power is not yours; the power belongs to God. You can’t heal disease, but the power in you can. Show the world God is. He is demonstrating His power to those who will receive it.
Application: Stay sensitive to both receive and to minister the anointing.