Was he strong enough to rear the promised Son of David? to be the sort of father who could teach a prince to be the king of Israel?

Book 15: Fourth Dawn (A.D. Chronicles #4) by Brock and Bodie Thoene

My rating: ****

In a LOST-esque turn of events, the 4th book in this series takes a step backward in time. The previous book left off with Jesus restoring sight to blind Manaen and Alexander and Zahav uniting in marriage. Now we're taken 33ish years back in time to before Jesus was born. To before John the Baptist was born. To before Mary and Joseph were even Nazareth's hottest item.

This story centered primarily around Mary and Joseph. They are betrothed and head-over-heels in love with one another when Mary receives an angelic visitor one lonely night in the cow barn. He tells her she is favored by the Most High, and she will carry the Son of David, the Son of God - the Messiah. Strangely (at least to me) she doesn't question this but instead wonders why God would deem her as worthy to carry the promised Messiah. Meanwhile, her father and husband-to-be don't seem very enthusiastic about this news. They think she has concocted a story instead of coming clean about being with another man. Joseph plans to break things off quietly while Mary is away with her mother visiting her aunt (JB's mom). Through the event of her aunt being pregnant, Joseph and Mary's father realize she wasn't making up a story and that she really is carrying the Promised One of Israel. The book ends with them having just gotten married in the midst of rising turmoil in Jerusalem. Herod feels his throne is more threatened with each passing day and has people arrested and killed (mainly crucified) left and right to appease his fear.

I loved reading about the relationship between Mary and Joseph. Once again, these are characters that have always been somewhat cardboard-y in my mind just because there isn't much about them in the Bible. But they were chosen to carry and raise Jesus - our Savior. I don't have first-hand experience in raising a child, but knowing what my friends are going through I know it's not always a picnic. But to then think about raising the Messiah?! I can't think of anything more humbling. But Jesus is God incarnate - Immanuel. A man of constant sorrow who is not unfamiliar with what it's like to be human. The humility of God to clothe Himself in human flesh and be born to sinful human parents is quite possibly the epitome of humility.