[2] They travel south to cross the Jordan again and enter Jericho as Jesus makes His way towards Jerusalem.

Having crossed the Jordan, Jesus teaches the assembled crowd in his customary way, answering a question from the Pharisees about divorce.

C. M. Tuckett suggests that Mark 8:34-10:45 constitutes a broad section of the gospel dealing with Christian discipleship and that this pericope on divorce (verses 1-12) "is not out of place" within it, although he notes that some other commentators have treated Mark 10:1—31 as "a small preformed household code on the themes of marriage, children, and possessions".

Jesus does not deal specifically with Herod's situation, but says that Moses only gave legislation concerning divorce because men's hearts were hard.

Many Christians, especially in modern times, have not obeyed this teaching, but a general prohibition of divorce is still the official position of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church except for adultery based on the similar yet slightly different passage in Matthew 5:31-32.

[a] John 8:1-11, a passage of the book whose originality is questioned, relates the story of Jesus saving the woman caught in adultery from stoning.

Other surviving works from this period in history present children as unreasonable and in need of training whereas here their nature is shown as the path to God (Brown et al. 618).

Jesus tells everyone that "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

[7] Anglican writer G. F. Maclear attempts to make sense of this verse by suggesting that "they that followed" is a better translation, "as though there were two bands of the Apostles, of whom one went foremost (who were amazed), while the others (who were afraid) had fallen behind".

[14] The apostles seem to think that great earthly glory awaits them but Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion and the two criminals that will be on each side of him.

This section, verse 46, is where Morton Smith claimed a copy of a letter from Clement of Alexandria, found at the Mar Saba monastery in 1958, showed a secret extension of the book called the Secret Gospel of Mark, as well as between verses 34-35.

Smith took some photographs of the letter, which later was transferred to the library of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem where it disappeared after 1990.

As they leave the city they come upon Bartimaeus, whose name Mark then says means the son of Timaeus, translating from the Aramaic.

[15] Bartimaeus is a blind beggar who calls Jesus the Son of David, recognizing him as the Messiah, the first non-possessed person besides Peter to proclaim this.

This entire passage could be seen as a metaphor for Mark trying to convince his Hellenistic audience, about the nature of Christianity.

[citation needed] They have seen the disciples, perhaps mirrors of the reader, think Jesus' kingdom will be earthly riches and power, but Mark has shown Jesus predict his death three times and shown that to follow him will entail hardship and full devotion to God.

[16] Matthew's gospel has all this material in chapters 19-20 including a caveat on fornication and a praise of voluntary celibacy.