A Ministry of Healing: Matthew summarized the public ministry of Jesus as teaching, preaching, and healing in chapter 4 (v. 23; repeated in 9:35). In chapters 5–7 we were introduced to the teaching ministry of Jesus. In chapters 8–9 we will learn of his ministry in deeds. This second main section of the Gospel comprises three series of acts of miraculous power. Each series has three miracles—one in the realm of nature (calming a storm, 8:23–27) and the other eight connected with some form of sickness. Between each set of three is a paragraph or two of material not about miracles (8:18–22; 9:9–17).

By isolating the account of the woman suffering from severe bleeding from the middle of the story of the Jewish official’s daughter who had just died (9:18–26; see vv. 20–22), some count ten mirac…