As we note in the commentary on this passage, the two incidents share several details so that they are mutually interpreting. But the effect of sandwiching one episode inside the other is to make audiences feel the frenetic pace of the drama, with people crowding Jesus, desperate for healing and restoration. Throughout the first half of Mark, Jesus continually commands various characters—his disciples, demons that he drives out, and people that he heals—to keep quiet about his identity.