Carrying our Crosses

The Chosen

I finally did it – I watched the Chosen Season One and Two. Short synopsis: watch it and read the read the Gospels. I really liked it. 

 

Okay – a deeper dive. I heard about the Chosen. And the first thing I thought: “Not another cheesy Christian movie series that is jumping on to the multiple show delivery method”. I was wrong. 

 

For those not familiar with the Chosen, it's the first ever “multi-season series about the life of Christ”. There are eight seasons planned. As of this writing, two seasons have been released, with this the third season released in November 2022. From a cinematic standpoint, each show is done extremely well.  The production is what you would expect from a Hollywood production. And the acting is really good. 

 

Here are some short thoughts about the Chosen and the first two seasons:

·      The humanity of Jesus is brought out throughout the first two seasons. Yet, His divinity is brought out as well.  I really liked this.   

·      With a multi-season series, there is a lot of “artistic license” that took place. It does not take away from the message for most of it, but it does tell many back stories. If you are looking for a literal interpretation of the Gospel, this is not for you. 

·      The back stories often add to the narrative, but it also can make things cloudy. This would be a great time to get in a discussion group with others about those scenes that you may have questions about. I cannot emphasize this enough - great time to read the Gospels.

·      The encounters that Jesus has with Peter, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and the Woman at the Well are fantastic (I won’t give away these scenes – you will recognize them if and when you watch them and why I really like them).

·      This is only season two – there are six more seasons. It will be interesting to see where they take this. 

 

Again, remember that there is a lot of artistic license taking place. The writers have added what may have taken place between the scripture passages. And for the most part, it does a really good job in doing so. The director even says that this is not a replacement for reading the Gospels. There are some parts that I would potentially have done differently, but they may be for a different blog in which I will write about what I worry about the Chosen. 

In the end, the message of the Chosen is the universal message - Jesus is calling each one of us, no matter where we are in life. In His encounters with each individual in the Gospel (and through the Chosen media), it's a great time to put “ourselves” in their shoes and meditate upon that in prayer time – meditate upon the gaze of Jesus, looking at you, speaking to you the same words He spoke to those in the Gospels who needed healing, the same healing we need for whatever or however we are broken, and to then follow Him.