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.
"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.
What
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.
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.
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."
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!
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