“It appears from verse 37 that the touching here referred to is a laying on of hands—a setting apart or ordination [see Moroni 2:1–3].
“As a result of the fulfillment of the law and as part of the establishment of a new dispensation and new Church, the Savior ordains and sets apart his disciples and gives them authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost and set in order the new organization. The words spoken by Christ to the Twelve—which were not heard by the multitude—were preserved (see Moroni 2)” (McConkie et al., Doctrinal Commentary, 4:131).