If you are intrigued by the importance that the New Testament seems to place on the laying on of hands, then take a read of what Wayne Grudem says about it in his classic book ‘Systematic Theology’. Although he is very measured and traditional in most of his views, he becomes very enthusiastic when describing this on pages 1205 and 1206.

“A survey of the New Testament may bring surprise to many modern Christians (as it did to the present author) when they see how frequently the laying on of hands and other kinds of physical touch are seen to function as a ‘means of grace’ in the ministry of Jesus and the early church.

“It seems that the laying on of hands was by far the most common method that Jesus used to pray for people. When crowds came bringing people “with various diseases” to him, “he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them” (Luke 4:40). Other passages specifically describe Jesus’ placing his hands on people to heal them (Matt 8:3; Mark 1:41, 6:5, 8:23-25; Luke 5:13, 13:13). But more significant than these individual passages is the fact that people who came to Jesus for healing would come specifically asking him to lay his hands on a sick person: “Come and lay your hand on her, and she will live” (Matt 9:18), or “Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live” (Mark 5:23; cf 7:32). The fact that people came with this request suggests that the laying on of hands was commonly recognized as the method Jesus usually used to heal people. … This was because the power of the Holy Spirit was conveyed through Jesus’ physical touch, and came forth and healed people. “All the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all” (Luke 6:19).”

After showing how the early Christians imitated Jesus by laying their hands on people, in Acts 9:12, 9:17-18 and 28:8, Wayne Grudem points out that the Greek text of the New Testament tells us that the crowds marveled at the miracles performed by the hands of Jesus (Mark 6:2), and by the hands of the apostles (Acts 14:3, 19:11).

“Since there was, as with the other means of grace, no automatic or magical power inherent in the hands of the early Christians, but healing and other kinds of blessing only came as God himself was pleased to work through the laying on of hands, it is not surprising that the early church prayed specifically that God would stretch forth his hand to heal. They prayed, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal” (Acts 4:29-30). They realized that while they stretched forth their hands to touch those who were sick it would not be effective at all unless God’s own mighty hand of power was working through their hands.”

Wayne Grudem explains that the early Christians also laid their hands on people to enable them to receive the Holy Spirit in all his fullness (Acts 8:17, 8:18-19, 9:17, 19:6), to empower and equip them for works of service (Acts 6:6, 13:3) and to enable them to receive specific gifts from the Holy Spirit for ministry (Acts 19:6; Rom 1:11; 1 Tim 4:14,  2 Tim 1:6).

“If people in the early church were frequently praying for one another’s needs, and if they imitated the example of Jesus and his disciples in the laying on of hands to pray for people for healing, for bringing blessing, for receiving the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion, for receiving spiritual gifts, or for empowering for ministry, then we would expect that instruction given to new Christians would have included the teaching that prayer for individual needs would ordinarily be accompanied by the placing of a hand or hands upon the person who was being prayed for. If this were so, then it would not be surprising that “the laying on of hands” would be classified as an “elementary” doctrine, something that belongs to the “foundation” of Christian instruction – which is in fact what we find in Hebrews 6:1-2. Although some have understood this to refer more narrowly to the laying on of hands that accompanies installation in some specific church office, that is only one small aspect of the pattern of situations in which laying on of hands is found in the New Testament. It seems much better to understand this phrase in Hebrews 6:2 to refer to elementary instruction about how to pray for others in various situations of need so that young Christians would immediately be able to begin ministering to others as well.”