Our discipleship to Jesus affects every aspect of our lives. In this passage, we see how Jesus has a stern opinion on how we operate of members in our family households (Mark 10:1-16).

Jesus uses provocative language to bring gravity to the discussion of sin in the life of a believer. In this passage we learn how replacing our objects of temptation lead to life but nurturing means to sin leads to death (Mark 9:42-50).

God looks upon Israel's piety and their religious practices and judges them for being emotionally vacant. Despite the appearance of spirituality, God's desire is for His people's heart dedication. In the future, however, God will fully reconcile His people to Himself, though the sequence of events may be a bit unclear. So, God's people look toward Him and wait for His coming.

When Jesus and three of His disciples descend from the mountain of transfiguration, they come to find the remaining disciples in a heated argument with the Jewish scribes. The scribes were ridiculing Jesus' disciples for their inability to cast a demon out of a young boy. Jesus, frustrated, calls out 'how long?!'

God promises that despite His righteous anger, He will uphold His covenant and therefore bless His people. God has great compassion even for the sinner and He will abundantly pardon their guilt. He will also expand His plan of salvation to the foreigner as well as the eunuch. God sees the licentiousness of Israel's priesthood and the idolatry of the people, yet His goodness remains available.

Jesus teaches His disciples that denying themselves is the way toward Life in Christ. Shockingly, He compares discipleship unto Him as a shameful death sentence. Yet, Mark intentionally fast-forwards to Jesus' transfiguration to show that self-denial comes hand-in-hand with glorification (Mark 8:34-9:13).

Isaiah tells of a coming Servant of the LORD who will rule and restore. He contrasts this Servant's faithfulness with Israel's disobedience and assures Israel that God will bring them comfort and a coming salvation. Unexpectedly, however, Isaiah begins to describe the execution of this Servant.

Here in Mark 8, we have the only example of a miracle of Jesus' that takes place in stages. Similarly, we see the gradual understanding of Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah, but not as the Sacrifice. We, like the blind man, often grow in stages, God looks on our lack of understanding with deliberation as well as patience [Mark 8:22-33].

God reminds His people that He's chosen them and that He will not let them go. However, He foretells the coming judgment which He will send through foreign nations. Yet, just as He will send judgment through a foreign nation, He will also bring relief and deliverance through another; namely through a leader named Cyrus.

Beyond the signs, wonders, and miracles Jesus has performed, still the people do not believe He is from God. Wherever Jesus goes, He is met with misunderstanding and opposition, yet He continues to manifest characteristics of the God of Israel (Mark 7:31-8:21).