lee--the habitat of a heathen population, with
whom, however, many Jews were intermixed--the people gathered around the
Master. These He now called together, and to them and the disciples
said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me." Here the frightful figure of the cross was
again made prominent. There was left no shadow of excuse for the thought
that devotion to Christ would not mean denial and privation. He who
would save his life at the cost of duty, as Peter had just suggested
that Christ should do, would surely lose it in a sense worse than that
of physical death; whereas he who stood willing to lose all, even life
itself, should find the life that is eternal.

As evincing the soundness of His teachings, Jesus uttered what has since
become an inspiring aphorism of life: "For what is a man profited, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul?" Whosoever is ashamed of Christ because
of His lowly estate, or through offense at His teachings, shall yet find
that the Son of Man, when He comes in the glory of the Father, with
attending cohorts of angels, will be ashamed of that man. The record of
this memorable day in the Savior's life closes with His blessed promise:
"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not
taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his
kingdom."[774]

NOTES TO CHAPTER 22.

1. Passover Celebrations Comprized within the Period of Our Lord's
Public Ministry.--The dates on which specific acts occurred in the
ministry of Jesus are difficult if not impossible to fix, except in few
instances; and as heretofore stated and reiterated, even the order of
events is often found to be uncertain. It will be remembered that Jesus
was in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover soon after His baptism, and
that on the visit referred to He forcibly cleared the temple courts of
traffickers and their property. This is known as the _first_ Passover
during the public life of Jesus. If the unnamed "feast of the Jews"
referred to by John (5:1) was a Passover, as many Bible students hold,
it marked the close of the year following the cleansing the temple; it
is commonly spoken of and written about as the _second_ Passover in the
course of our Lord's ministry. Then the Passover near which Jesus fed
the five thousand (John 6:4) would be the _third_, and would mark the
expir