Dean Elliott begins the section of Matthew after the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 8:1-17. These three miracles are to be considered together and they tend to be blank canvases, in which people impose their own theology on the miracles and make them say whatever they want them to say. The key is to consider the questions: “What is Jesus trying to say?” and “What is Matthew trying to say with these three stories?” Jesus is still calling his disciples to join him and fish for men. This passage begins a practical application section of the Sermon on the Mount.
Additional Scripture references: Matthew 10; Deuteronomy 24:8-9; Leviticus 12 & 13; Daniel 12