In different ways, the Gospels show that Jesus' power to heal was unlimited, and so his pity for the sick and the troubled was universal. In his historical life, of course, Jesus' ministry was almost completely limited to his own people. The Gospels, however, are not simply a record of history. They are faith documents, written from faith in order to promote faith in Jesus. Thus our faith allows us to glimpse the divine message in the accounts of the historical events.

Jesus heals a dumb person and this individual miracle causes the people to express great surprise. Surprise is not the same as faith, but it quite frequently is a first step towards receiving the gift of faith. Apart from this story of Jesus healing an individual, Matthew speaks of all the towns and villages, where Jesus cured every sickness and disease, and then of the crowds. The words "all", "every", "crowds" express the widespread nature of Jesus' ministry. In the Resurrection that healing ministry spreads to the whole world.

Matthew says the dumb man was possessed by a demon. The Gospels commonly note this phenomenon. In establishing the Kingdom of God, Jesus is continually engaged in a battle with the devil.