At this point on Mark’s gospel, Jesus is teaching His disciples vital things they must learn before His impending crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. These crucial teachings will be fundamental to the great commission Jesus will soon be sending them in spreading the gospel and making disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Without these fundamental lessons to be learned the disciples will not make it in the valley lows and miss the point of the overall mission of Jesus.​