Valley of the Shadow of Death

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” That KJV verse of the 23rd Psalm has been stuck in my head recently. These words have always been comforting to me when I’ve faced any difficulty. So here we are approaching Holy Week, the week when we remember Jesus’ last days, and I began to wonder if these words were comforting to him as he faced Jerusalem and the darkness which was ahead.

Heading into Jerusalem with his disciples, Jesus knew that the cheering crowds welcoming him would have a change of heart. As he entered town, did he think that he was at the edge of that valley? Did he say to himself over the hosannas!, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”?

As Jesus prepared for the Passover meal, the last supper when he once again taught his disciples about his definition of ministry and gave them a new meaning for a familiar ritual, was he also aware that he had walked deeper into the shadow? As he broke the bread and poured the wine, did he say to himself, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”?

Knowing that his arrest was coming soon, when they left the place of the Passover and entered the Garden of Gethsemane, did the fear which struck him and led him to pray, “If it be possible, take this cup from me, but your will, not mine, be done.” remind him that he was not only in the shadow of the valley, but approaching the bottom? Could it be that the comfort of “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” made it possible for him to say “Not my will, but yours.”?

As he was beaten and scourged, subjected to the mockery of a trial, forced to carry his cross to Golgotha, nailed to it, and hung between two felons, could Jesus have felt that there was no shadow about this valley, that he was actually in the valley of death? Did “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” make it possible for him to take each step, endure each painful hour, experience his painful death?

In the Apostles’ Creed, we are reminded that Jesus descended into hell, walking completely through the valley of the shadow of death before overcoming death in resurrection. Did “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” give him the strength to fulfill his baptism in death and rise again to life eternal?

There is comfort in knowing that one is not alone in even the darkest hours. Scripture reminds us of that. Perhaps that is why these words are so comforting, so quickly come to mind in the dark times. While there is no way to know it for sure, I’d like to think these are words that comforted Jesus in the same way. Because beyond the certainty of companionship in the darkness, there is a second assurance: that one does not stay in the valley of the shadow of death, and in this assurance lies hope! A hope which carried Jesus, and us, beyond our fears into life eternal!