The Chosen: Season One Episode Four "The rock on which it is built."

We find ourselves out to sea with Simon and the Romans trying to trap Jewish fishermen working on Sabbat. Of course we know they are not supposed to be out and Simon is feeling nervous and convicted about the treason his is currently in the middle of doing against his own people. 

Fishing bobbers belonging to Big James and John. So now Simon knows who is out fishing or at least whose boats have been out. It makes sense for there to be a larger family fishing business they are all a part of. 

Simon, Simon, someday you will be leading men to Jesus. But for now at least you felt guilty enough to keep the Romans away from your friends boat. I like that Simon grips a hold of the boat the very moment before they hit the sand bar. He really does now those waters. 

"This is kindness." Interesting message the Roman gives to Simon the moment before he slashes his left ear. Clearly a warning to Simon and an acknowledgment they are aware he purposefully ran them aground. Years later in the Garden Simon will but off the ear of the high priests servant... interesting parallel.

   Simon comes clean to Zebedee about his deal with the Romans. We can appreciate his love for his family and his attempt to make good on taking care of them. It puts Simon in an almost impossible position of not being able to provide and pay his taxes.

Quintus returns for this scene with Matthew our favorite Tax Collector. 

What

Well maybe not everyone's favorite. But we do know at least Quintus likes him, enough to use him for his own greedy purpose. But we can be glad he did ask Matthew to follow Simon and keep an eye on him. This will lead Matthew along the way in which he is to go to see Jesus shortly. Roman wants Matthew to write down every detail for its own means while Jesus will use Matthew to write down the details to share the Kingdom of Heaven with the world. Wonderful how the writers weave it all together. 

It is no easy journey to the river Jordan for the religious leadership to find John the Baptizer, aka creepy John as Simon calls him. Here we see them talking of John and his message to the people. The really carry on quite a bit shocked by what John said about the religious leaders and their hypocrisy. John was no people pleaser for sure and did not tone down his message to avoid offending anyone. 

  

 Enter the sick mother in law. We know from the Gospels Simon had a wife and of course a mother in law. They introduce her to us sounding very sick and very much needing a place to stay. Simon's wife opens up their home to her and does a good job guilting Simon into agreeing for her to be there. Then in the next moment he confesses how deep in the hole he has gotten.

Humility and honest are two of the most important parts of any marriage and any relationship really. Simon is finally real with Eden about how in debt to Rome he really is and how hard he has been trying to get them out of trouble. Eden makes a lot of good points here in their argument about how Simon is lacking in faith. "Where is your faith," is a common word Jesus would often speak toward people, directing them back toward God. This whole build up is to show us how far into a pit Simon has fallen before Jesus will call him out. 

As for the acting in this scene, I would give the actress playing Eden an award for this one alone. She does an amazing job. 

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the [l]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:40-42

Simon does not believe a word of it though, but he is busy worrying about his circumstances and and as many of us do, misses the message. 

 

Matthew is not very good with the cloak and dagger part of being a spy. 

There is a lot of animosity built up between Simon and Matthew. It builds a lot of character development into the show and I think gives us a better perspective of who these disciples were. One thing the show does is brings the historical accounts to life in a way that we have never seen on screen before. Actors have played the roles before but never to this depth and personality. 

Matthew sees that people listen to Simon and he is a natural leader in comparison to himself being unwanted and rejected by his own people because of his chosen profession. It will be good to see how the dynamics between these two play out.

   While it is possible John the Baptizer could have been thrown in jail a number of occasions, this one serves the purpose of the show so Nicodemus has time to talk to him. 

A lot of what we see with Simon on the boat is the natural frustration that comes over all of us when we feel God is not listening and does not care. He reaches the end of his rope and is in desperation, looking for fish to pay of his debts. He cries out to the Lord from the pit of his soul. 

Not sure if Simon has reached the point where he wonders if any more fish are even in the water or if this is just a old fisherman's trick to lure fish. Either way it leads Simon to scream so more to the heavens. 

Matthew is watching all night long and taking good notes. I like that he brought his dog. 

God actually does want us to recount His own Word to Him in prayer. This is not to remind Him but to remind us of His goodness and Mercy. Of course the Jewish Nation is the Chosen. It is from them we have Messiah and we worship a Jewish God. The One and the Only God. 

Simon's friends and brother show up to help with the fishing. Since the Scripture does imply they were all out fishing all night and not catching anything, it works well with the story line of the show. It is good to remember this is historical fiction, not everything is going to be lined up exactly like we imagine. But if it stirs away from Biblical truth, I will be sure to let you know. 

Jesus was often on the shore teaching. When Simon and the other first see the crowd they mistake them for Romans. 

Reminding us Matthew is watching as well. Jesus is teaching the parable of the four types of seeds in the ground. One of my personal favorites. 

I love Andrew's response every time Jesus asks something, he immediately does it. There is never a question, he is a good example of how our service should be to the Lord. 

When the Lord says he has something for you and wants your obedience in return. I love the looks they give each other. 

Jesus already has a way of telling Simon he already knows what he is thinking. 

There is so much Scripture thrown into each episode and I am sure I am still going to find more every time I watch them. If you purchase the DVD set from https://thechosengifts.com/  it has so much more information. My humble review here only scratches the services of my own experiences watching.

Again Andrew does not take his eyes of Jesus and jumps to action as soon as Jesus speaks the word. 

 

I could post a still from every moment in this scene but it so incredible and captures the miraculous catch of fish. I love how the show brings it to life and its a great way to bring the Bible to the screen for people who have no idea what is in the Scriptures and even more couldn't imagine what those days were like. 

Some random fish went flying over Simon, which was pretty funny. Meanwhile Matthew is stunned by the impossible and what pushes past all logic. 

                                                                The Lamb of GOD

Crying out to God is not a sign we are lost but a sign we are ready to be filled with the Spirit of love and grace. Simon declares how much of a sinner he is and knows he is in the presence of Messiah and does not deserve mercy. The Lord is mighty. This whole scene is amazing and the musical score adds so much breath and wonder. 

Like Mary, I get teared up as well. 

                                                Jesus says to all of us, "Follow me". 

Jesus turns to the James and John and calls them as well. So now we have Simon, Andrew, James, John, Little James and Thaddeus. The actor that plays big James changes during the season and is a different actor in season two. 

 I love James and John. My favorite Apostle has always been John and the actor in this show plays him flawlessly. 

                            "Catch all kinds of people and I will sort them out later."

The end of the episode leaves us with Nicodemus approaching John the Baptist with questions about miracles. A kind of a cliff hanger since we do not see much of their conversation in this episode but just wait! 

Probably one of my favorite episodes of the season and probably the whole show so far. But as of this blog entry season two is still being completed. I look forward to watching more and writing more about each episode so I can catch up and eventually be on time with the show. 

Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think about the show in the comments! 

The Chosen Season One Episode Three "Jesus Loves the Children."

 

We begin episode three in the quiet camp of Jesus. He is spending time with the Father in deep prayer and meditation. In my own experiences with campfires or even fire in the hearth, there is something very soothing and relaxing about the experience. John chapter 17 tells us about a long prayer Jesus has with the Father. This may be very similar to that as a precursor to His ministry. He is seeking His Father as he prepares for what is ahead. 

Enter Abigail (whose name means 'Her Father's Joy') and she wanders into the camp of Jesus. So this whole episode is going to highlight the children of Israel and their interactions with Jesus before He begins His earthly ministry.  

First of all I would love to recreate this whole campsite. Though I would not know what to do with all those tools. Abigail explores it for us and shows just how much of a craftsman Jesus was and is. Truly He is still working with His hands. As He grew up though he would have worked with his earthly father Joseph as a carpenter. He could have even been one of main architects in Nazareth. 

That moment when you hear your parents voice in your head telling you not to eat something that doesn't belong to you.

Healing the sick, cakewalk... starting a campfire.... ugh :) Just another piece they throw in to remind us of Jesus' humanity. He does of course get the fire going here and in our hearts as well. 

When watching this scene as a family my oldest daughter made the comment, so families back than had the same boring dinner conversations do now. And the dads still don't pay attention.

                                 I responded with pointing what Abigail did all her chores

Great music in this show by the way. I mean it would be rather different without musical score in the background. Jesus of course knows the children will be showing up the next day. He is always ready. Jesus prays to the Father before he goes to sleep, a good reminder to all of us. It is not about long flowing prayers, prayer can be simple conversation.

Abby brings along her friend Joshua to check out the campsite and find Jesus praying before His meal. Its great to see Jesus interactions with the children. He is truly going to be surrounded by the little ones His whole ministry because they know He is good. Kids have a way of telling who they can trust. He makes them smile and laugh and has so much to teach them. 

Just throwing this in there so parents can have a good conversation to their children about wandering away from home into strange campsites. I mean yes this is Jesus and we all know that, but this is a good way to bring up the conversation. 

          Joshua the brave! Throw back to the book of Joshua and the Lord calling him to be courageous. 

Alert children bring with them many questions! He is of course patient with all of them. 

The actors performance flows along with the story so well in every scene. His conversation with Abby about what He does to make money and his response to her about how sometimes its better to not be wealthy reminds me of many Scriptures talking about money. Our focus should be on heavenly riches, Spiritual growth and works we do to spread His Kingdom. Wealth can be our family, friends, thoroughly enjoying the life He has given us.  

If you want to know more about the bedtime prayer Jesus prays you can look up the Bedtime Shema for the full prayer. Praise you Lord our King! Also Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9

                                                         Funny for obvious reasons. 

Love that they just want to hang around with Jesus. He tells them they are welcome but he has work to do and they may have to help. This is a message for all of us to find Jesus in the morning and seek to hang out with Him all day and help Him. It is not as though he needs help, it is that He invites us to help Him. 

-------------------

Jesus brushes his teeth because of course the King of the Universe knows about dental care. 

                                       

This exchange reminds me of the quote:

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Answering questions with a question is pretty normal among the Jewish friends I know. I believe Jesus is always wanting us to talk through our thoughts and intentions. As the children begin talking to Jesus we get to imagine so much about what His years of ministry would have looked like. 

                                  I could just hear Him saying  "I am the bread of life" (John 6:34)

     

    

                                    Keeping kids busy with crafts while you teach them is an excellent idea. 

The Shema is the centerpiece of the daily morning and evening prayer services and is considered by some the most essential prayer in all of Judaism. You can read more about it here.

The children of course would all know the prayer and would have prayed it many, many times. It is wonderful to watch and listen to them all pray and you can see the look on Jesus' face how it moved His heart. 

                                        

"And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Matthew 8:20

Jesus telling the children His is preparing for His teaching ministry. This line is a good reminder of our real purpose on this earth is to advance the Kingdom. 

Life will never stop being school. Every day we learn lessons on how to love one another. 

 

The children walking back home arguging about who they think Jesus really is. Maybe He is a new teacher in the area. Maybe He is a new prophet? Maybe he a murderer hiding out in the woods. Of course not the latter. Darling Abby comes to His defense. 

                              She wins for my favorite defense for spending time with Jesus.

                                The music again, perfect. Watching Jesus with the children and answering their questions, perfect. 

The Lord's prayer as they call it in Sunday School. Although it would be better called the disciples prayer. The Lord's prayer is John 17 if you ask me, which you must be otherwise you wouldn't bother reading my blog. Thank you for that by the way. Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Jesus the master story teller. This story is from 2 Kings chapter 2 and involves the prophet Elisha cursing some young men for calling him names.  

"The hoodlums who were taunting Elisha were young men, not little

children. You will find this word used in many places in Scripture, and

in every other place it is translated “young men.” This was a crowd of

young fellows. They were students of the false prophets. They were a

gang that mocked and ridiculed Elisha. They said, “Go up, thou bald

head.” What did they mean by that? They were telling him to do the same

thing Elijah had done. They were saying, “Why don’t you take off like

Elijah did?” Their jeering, recorded in the slang of their day, implied that

if Elisha were a great prophet of the Lord, as Elijah was, he should go on

up into heaven as Elijah reportedly had done. They were ridiculing the

truth in Scripture that God will take a people out of this world: This is the

same attitude, Peter says, that will appear on the earth again in the last days.

This incident in 2 Kings is given to us to let us know that God intends to judge

those who ridicule the second coming of Christ. 2 Peter 3:3-4" - Dr. Chuck Missler

At least I am going to assume that is the story Jesus was telling them. Interesting one. 

We will never have any real idea of what prayer time would have been like between the Son and the Father, but I know it is the same kind of prayer time we should aspire to have. In this case I imagine He is praying about the ministry before Him and with what the Father is asking Him to do. 

How good and how pleasing it would be for brothers to sit in unity. Taken from Psalm 133. 

So much of His teaching to the children could be used for sermon points and illustrations. This entire episode should be in all Sunday school classrooms for that matter. I did notice little Joshua saying how the Rabbi in his school teaches Messiah will come free the Jews from Rome. This is an important point because those looking for Messiah were indeed looking through that lens.

    

                                  I feel like I want to print this one for my classroom. 

                                            And this is a good one for all of us.

As for His comment about Messiah being a strong military leader that is a good question. There is of course passages of the Second Coming which we could put in that category. Some even believed there would be two Messiahs, one a suffering servant and a second to be the military leader. God of course knew the two were the same. But nothing is revealed all at once. 

Abby is the little teacher's pet. There is always one and its always good. Again this whole interaction is a great teaching on justice, fairness, and how to respond to bullies. 

  At least a couple times David had the chance to take his own justice in 1 Samuel on King Saul. It is the Lord who will take care of all things in His own timing. We need to trust in that, no matter how hard it is. 

I would love to see all these children come back in another season when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. Meanwhile He tells them all to be peacemakers. 

Nice mention of Jesus going to help Mary find freedom from her demonic possession. At least I assume that is what He is referring to. Since the Bible is unclear on her backstory we do not know at what point Mary was redeemed, I love it however and find it to be a great way to get the show started. Here Jesus simply mentions her needing help, and He helped her. 

This is what the show is called The Chosen, it is about all the followers of Messiah whom He has chosen. All of us who are His called ones, chosen by Him. 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
and the day of vengeance of our God. (Isaiah 61:1-2) 

In Luke chapter 4 Jesus reads this passage from Isaiah to the leaders in the Synagogue of Nazareth. Jesus stops short of "and the day of vengeance of our God" simply because that part has not happened yet. But it will when He returns!

Seeing that Jesus just finished teaching the children about justice it works really well throwing this passage into the context of this friendly gathering. 

Jesus says many times in the Gospels that we should be as little children when it comes to faith and seeking Him. Children like the ones in this episode, always asking questions and finding understanding, are the kinds of people we all should be. Another reason why I love teaching, children are always full of so many questions and ideas.

I love that Jesus made a little stable for her to play with before He left. The rainfall even though I know it was not what they planned during filming was also a perfect way to end the episode. He is the Water of Life! 

THE CHOSEN created by Dallas Jenkins. When I first saw his last name the first thing I thought was, could he be related to Jerry B Jenkins, the author of the Left Behind series? Indeed Jerry is the father of Dallas Jenkins. Anyone who knows me well knows how much the Left Behind series has impacted my life. The initials LB are still part of my Yahoo.com email address. Through the Left Behind series I met my beautiful wife way back in 1999! Seems like so long ago now. So I am forever thankful to Jerry and now thankful for Dallas creating this wonderful new show. I hope it draws you closer to Him.