You’ve probably either heard of The Chosen or watched it for yourself at some point. This show has grown to make a global impact and the Lord has used it to present the message of Jesus in a very powerful and relatable way. I’ve watched every episode that has been put out so far and I can honestly say that God has used it to grow my faith and stir my heart to know Him more.
Here are some personal thoughts and observations that I have from the show:
- See it for what it is.
The Chosen is not the Bible. They are taking the story of the Bible (particularly the Gospels), and doing their best to illustrate what it could have looked like. They also add some scenes that may not be represented in the Bible, but could be plausible options of what could have happened at times. Remember, there are so many things that happened during Biblical days that were not written down. It would be impossible to record all of that. The Bible gives us written accounts of the main events and conversations that we need, but not every single thing that happened over the course of thousands of years. If you watch it and try to match up every scene with a Bible verse you will become overly critical, as some people have. However, that’s not how the show works or the purpose. It’s also a supplemental resource and is not meant to replace your personal Bible study.
- It gives you perspective from the every day people that Jesus encountered.
What do you think it was like for the disciples when Jesus came up to them and said, “Follow me.”, or when Jesus approached a sick person and healed them because of their faith, or when Jesus called out the religious leaders for their hypocrisy? We often read through these accounts quickly, but these are real people that lived a real life. Once Jesus came to them, things began to change. This was a big deal for them and the show does an excellent job portraying what that could have looked like. What are just a few words or verses on a page in our Bibles was a significant event for someone else many years ago. These people were human just like us.
- Jesus’s deity and humanity is illustrated beautifully.
We must remember that Jesus is FULLY man and FULLY God, yet without sin. Because of this, we can be assured that Jesus struggled, suffered, experienced sadness, anger, happiness, joy and even had fun. He also had the ability to change peoples hearts, heal sickness, raise the dead and victoriously take away the sins of the world. That’s why following Jesus is so great. He fully relates to us, yet also is beyond us and worthy to be trusted. The show captures moments where both His deity and humanity is put on display in an authentic way.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” -Hebrews 4:15-16
- This show should lead you to Scripture.
Just like anything, we can’t let a good thing become a God thing. I’ve watched lots of interviews with the director of the show, and he has said this over and over. The show and actors are not to become an idol, be worshipped or be elevated. We can easily do this, though. We tend to do this with our favorite authors, pastors, speakers, ministries and churches. We cannot do this though with people. They are meant to be instruments of God to then lead us to God, who alone is perfect. All people are imperfect and in need of Gods grace. The shows intention is to simply illustrate Scripture and then lead you to read for yourself. For example, after watching an episode in season 4 and then watching the after show where they talk more about the episode, I discovered something new from John 11 that I had never noticed before. This led me to open my Bible and read from that chapter, to see for myself. Last year in one of my Bible classes, we watched a scene from The Chosen and then opened the Scriptures to read about it. The students were amazed at the connection and having a visual of what they were reading was extremely impactful for them.
So, let’s keep in mind that the Lord uses different things to minister to different people. If you have not watched the Chosen, I encourage you to give it a try. And if it’s not for you, no problem!
Matthew Weaver 