Jesus of Nazareth has been preaching in Judea for three years and has gathered many followers with his teachings and miracles. But he has also made enemies among the rulers in Jerusalem, who fear his power and his influence and who have conspired to put an end to him by whatever means possible.
Mordechai ben Uzziel's life couldn't be any worse. His daughter, Miriam, has vanished from Rome, spirited away by none other than his old nemesis €" Simeon ben David. Meanwhile, Mordechai's credibility with the Sanhedrin is jeopardized when the council learns that his own daughter has become a disciple of this so-called Messiah.
Simeon ben David's life couldn't be any better. After struggling to follow the Savior and to testify of his knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, Simeon has found peace and joy in following the Master. More than that, he has found love; he and Miriam will be betrothed before the feast of Hanukkah.
The family of David ben Joseph continues to follow Jesus, though the Savior's teachings now carry an undercurrent of sorrow and unsettling prophecy. And despite increasing danger, Jesus' ministry draws him inexorably toward Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus performs miracles of astounding power; healing a woman afflicted for almost two decades, restoring sight to a man born blind, and raising Lazarus after four days in the grave.
But not everyone is thrilled to hear Jesus declare, "I am the light of the world; I am the bread of life" during the Feast of the Tabernacles. As the end of Jesus' ministry €" and his life €" approaches, the lines are swiftly and solidly drawn between those who will stand for Jesus and those who will tear him down.
The final volume of The Kingdom and the Crown series, , details the last week of Jesus' life €" his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the spiritually fulfilling Last Supper, and the crowning achievement of the atonement that begins in the Garden of Gethsemane and culminates in the Garden Tomb.
In The Kingdom and the Crown trilogy, Gerald N. Lund has given us the chance to behold the man known as Jesus of Nazareth, to experience what it must have been like to walk and talk with the Master.
