Mark’s “bookends” are both instances of Jesus healing the blind. In the first instance, Mark 8:22-26, Jesus heals the blind man by putting saliva on his eyes. In the second instance, Mark 10:46-52, Jesus restores a blind mans sight purely through words, saying, “Go; your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52). These bookends reveal the message Jesus was giving in the text between them. Jesus stressed the importance of faith in entering the kingdom of heaven. He was intent on gathering followers and saving as many people as he could through his message and his miracles. Similarly, in the passage between the two blind men’s healings, Jesus talks about his upcoming torcher and death as though it is eminent and unavoidable, completely absolute. It’s in Mark 9:31b-32 that Jesus foreshadows his death, predicting it perfectly. Through his death, Jesus says he will save everyone who believes, following the pattern of his miracles in Mark’s text. Jesus will no longer be just man, but divine. He is not only man, but also God. Life under God’s rule, according to Jesus, requires one to completely surrender to God and believe in Him, even to the point of selling all their possessions if necessary (Mark 10:21). It’s most important to put belief in God over everything.