In Acts 13:1-3, when the church was relatively new, the Spirit of God was doing some absolutely amazing things and many, many people were putting their faith in Christ.
The Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities felt fearful and threatened by the unprecedented growth of the early church. Serious persecution was the result. Apostles were arrested and beaten – and ultimately Stephen, one of the early church’s servant leaders, was brutally martyred. (See Acts 7:54 – 8:3.)
As a result of this vicious persecution, these young Christians, certainly following God’s leading, but also in an attempt to flee torture and ultimate martyrdom, fled from Jerusalem taking the message of the Gospel, the Good News of the resurrected Christ, with them.
Acts 8:4 says, “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.,” and Acts 11:19 adds some specificity to their journeys, by explaining, “…Those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word…”
The setting for the inspiring story that we are focusing on here is the ancient city of Antioch. The church was becoming the hub for a new, global missionary outreach initiative.
Acts 13:1 introduces readers to some of the leadership team in that first century church. Notice the cross-cultural, and perhaps inter-generational members of this lineup of teachers, “Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” It was out of this team that the church’s first full-time missionaries were selected.
The focus of this article is how Barnabas and Saul were selected by the Antioch church for this initial missionary endeavor. What happened there is described in Acts 13:4-5, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”
It’s important to note that not everyone listed in this verse was chosen for this first missionary journey. Only Barnabas and Saul were designated. (See Acts 13:2; and ultimately young John Mark was included for specific service opportunities as described in Acts 13:5.)
There is an interesting phrase embedded into the fabric of this story. It says here that the early church “laid hands on them (and) sent them away.” The “laying on of hands” was a practice of the church in Biblical times that is not often seen or prioritized in today’s church. It is mentioned three times in the Pastoral Epistles of 1 & 2 Timothy (see 1 Timothy 4:14, 5:22, and 2 Timothy 5:22) and it was also used earlier in Acts (see Acts 6:6).
Commentator John MacArthur writes about this ritual, “The laying on of hands neither granted Saul or Barnabas the Holy Spirit nor ordained them to ministry… The laying on of hands simply signified identification, confirmation, und unity in their upcoming mission.” (MacArthur’s commentary on Acts 13-28, published by Moody Press, page 6.)
Simply put, this practice was a recognition of the call of God on their lives. The church noticed the God-given spiritual gifts of these two servants and decided that their best ministry fit would be as official missionaries sharing the Gospel and planting churches in other parts of the world. And that’s how missions got started.
The ceremonial laying on of hands was a public recognition of their call and their gifts, and it was a way for the church to demonstrate its commitment to their ministry. The simple phrase that immediately follows the statement about laying on of hands is, “they sent them away.” The real meaning of this phrase implies a practical and financial commitment on the part of the church for the ministry of Barnabas and Saul. This was much more than a mere public ceremony. The Antioch church made a public obligation to be a part of their new ministry. The other ministry leaders that were mentioned in this Biblical paragraph were not sent out. The indication in the text is that they stayed in Antioch and continued their ministry.
As we think about the modern-day implications of “laying on of hands,” please take a few moments to reread Acts 13:1-3. There are some important principles in this passage that can be applied to our church ministries today:
The encouraging aspect to this narrative is that God is still in the business of calling some of His people to serve Him as missionary evangelists. Barnabas and Saul sensed that calling and the early church recognized their call through the symbolism of laying on of hands. It was a public visual aid of a tangible connection between the missionaries and their home church.
The convicting facet of this story is that this ritual was much, much more than a casual goodbye formality. Laying on of hands was a commitment, or a promise or pledge, to be an active part of their missionary endeavors.
Earlier in the New Testament (there are many instances in the Gospels) there are occasions where the Lord and others utilized the laying on of hands as a part of a healing ministry. People had very real physical ailments and came to Christ to be healed. Again, the laying on hands symbolized a personal connection and was a public recognition that God was doing something unique and special.
The same things are true in Acts 13. The laying on of hands visualized a tangible link between the church and the ministry leaders - and was also a community-wide acknowledgement that God was at work.
Mel Walker is the youth pastor at Wyoming Valley Church in Wilkes-Barre, PA and is the president and co-founder of Vision For Youth, Inc., an international network of youth ministry. He is also an author, speaker, and consultant with churches. More information about his books or ministry can be found at: www.GoingOnForGod.com. He and his wife, Peggy, are the parents of 3 adult children, all of whom are in vocational ministry. Follow him on Twitter: @vfyouth.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jon Tyson