Day 37 | April 13

As I read this passage of Scripture I can feel the weight of loss that these women are feeling. It is a heavy weight of grief as they see the One they love dying the worst deaths that could ever be.

You can see the pain and sorrow etched heavily on their faces. The tears of grief and deep sorrow are falling down their cheeks. This is Jesus, who has been the son of one of them and great friend to all these women; the One who has given their lives true meaning in a land where women didn’t have much meaning. The One they had cared for many years. He has been the One who taught them the way to live and what the Kingdom of Heaven on earth was like and how to live a Kingdom life.

It is agonizing to stand by and see your loved one going through the Valley of the Shadow of death. Many of us have experienced this through the years and we – all of us, men and women alike – can relate to these women and their feelings of grief.

I listened to the message Dr. Berry Brown, Chaplain of the US Senate, gave at the funeral of Bob Dole. Part of his message was based on Psalm 23. He made reference to the fact that even when you walk through the shadows of the valley of death there is a light, otherwise there wouldn’t be a shadow.

I love this thought. It makes me aware in a different way that we don’t walk alone in the Valley of Death for Jesus knows this experience and He walks right beside us. What a great hope this gives us all.

The Crucifixion story continues as Joseph of Arimathea and the followers of Jesus show their love by taking care of His body and preparing it for burial.

Dearly beloved, take heart. Jesus knows just what you are going through. He will take care of you and comfort you no matter your circumstance because Jesus is the Light in our valleys.