Is The Chosen TV series biblical?: My Thoughts
The Chosen is a multi season television series about the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the eyes of the disciples.
Its Season 1 was released in the year 2019 (with a pilot episode on the birth of Christ released back in 2017). I first saw the very 1st episode on YouTube as the entire episode was made free for all to see. The 1st episode covered the redemption of Mary of Magdalene. The last 5 mins of the show was drum beats hammering on my head and that was it. The rest of them were released on their own app: The Chosen app.
I knew in my spirit that this show was from the Kingdom of God.
That is the very 1st time I knew that the stories were told from the perspective of the disciples and how Jesus was going to transform their lives. We had Matthew, Simon Peter, Andrew, Nicodemous etc….
Just not that, the series garnered attention for several reasons as it was the first TV show of its kind, presenting the life of Christ over multiple seasons (it planned seven seasons total). It is a crowd-funded production, bringing in more donations (over $11 million) than any other media project ever let alone religious; it is the first series to be launched in every country simultaneously via its own app (with over 61 million views so far in 156 countries); and it is being praised for its accurate and engaging storytelling.
I saw that there were only 4 episodes in total back in 2019. And I had to make patience my ally, to wait for the shootings to happen for the remaining Season 1 episodes and then Season 2. It is hard to choose the best scenes. They all the great but the miracles of the fish in S1E4 and the awesome creation of John, chapter 3 in S1E7 were my personal favorites from Season 1. The healing of the crippled near the pool of Bethesda in S2E4 and the preparation of the Sermon on the Mount speech in S2E8 were my Season 2 hits.
I am now eagerly waiting for the Season 3 to get released.
As stated many times by the show’s creator and director, Dallas Jenkins (son of Left Behind co-author Jerry Jenkins), this show is NOT a replacement of the Scriptures rater a tool to encourage believers to dive deep into it. In creating the show, Jenkins put together a panel of expert consultants to ensure biblical and historical accuracy in the script he was co-writing for the show. On the panel were a Messianic Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, and an evangelical professor of biblical studies.
Dramatizations of biblical events has provided a great opportunity for all believers to share the gospel with those who otherwise might not be exposed to the Bible. For believers, such dramatizations can bring a great revival in the Churches, reminding us that the Bible is more than just a book or a story — it relates actual events in the lives of real people who had emotions, relationships, and concerns similar to ours.
And the actor playing Jesus: Johnathan Roumie, has a special calling and a great anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is just seen in his eyes and how he portrays Jesus. I can see our King Jesus through him. Thank you Jesus for choosing a great actor to portray you on the show.
Now he is my 2nd favorite Jesus actor after Jim Caviezel. No offense Johnathan but Jim will always be the 1st Jesus for me.
The Chosen is free to watch, with no fee or subscription necessary. DVDs of Season 1 are also available for purchase. Season 2 launched on April 4, 2021. Are you planning to watch the series, go to your app store and download the app right now.
Jenkins’ goal in creating the show was to help people know Jesus better and to read Scriptures more and by the reactions of people worldwide, God’s will is happening, flowing through this show.
In The Chosen, the disciples have families and friends, they have reputations to uphold, they have a sense of humor, and they struggle with finances and other concerns. Just like us.
As with all storytelling based on historical events, some artistic license is evident. In retelling the gospel accounts, the writers have inserted or modified some characters, storylines, and details of the inspired original. The changes are respectful and designed to give each episode a feeling of being grounded in real life. Of course, no one knows for sure that Matthew (the tax collector) was on the Asperger’s/autism spectrum, but that is how he is depicted in The Chosen.
There’s nothing wrong with portraying Matthew as having a disorder; it’s a plausible detail and part of artistic license. Since no one is claiming that the show is God’s Word or that it is on par with the Bible, such license is acceptable, and even expected in a medium such as television. As long as viewers remember that what they are seeing is art and not real life — and they compare what they view with Scripture — there is no danger of confusion. We all know intuitively that, for all its historical accuracy and attention to cultural context, The Chosen is simply one idea from one group of people about what they think it might have been like to be near Jesus.
That is all I had for this blog. I hope you agreed with what I had to say about this show. Do let me know your experiences in the comment section. And do check my other blog contents as well.
