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Out of all the enemies and challenges Jesus has faced thus far in Mark's Gospel, probably the greatest one is that of religion: man's attempt to justify or sanctify himself before God through his own human effort or external means – apart from Christ. In this passage, Jesus will confront religion head-on, and in doing so show us the greatest enemy we can face in the world today isn't an external one but the one that lies within our own hearts. Likewise, He'll show the solution to that same problem won't be accomplished through our own external behaviors, but rather through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ that makes our hearts new.