![]() ![]() The narrative of the series is not wholly top-down. Jesus is here to bring about something “different” and The Chosen depicts the difference of Christ in the Gospels through a new, different model of storytelling. However, in the eyes of Jesus he is blessed. To personalize the final Beatitude even more, Jesus turns directly to Matthew and says, “blessed are you when others revile you, and persecute you, and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Matthew is the disciple most ridiculed for his past as a tax collector and Jesus speaks directly to this experience. ![]() John the Baptism, persecuted for righteousness. Big James and John, who hunger and thirst for righteousness. While Jesus speaks looking down upon his followers, the screen flashes to scenes of each of his disciples, which depict an image of one of the Beatitudes. ![]() As they stand upon a hillside and look down into their camp Jesus begins to recite these powerful words for Matthew to transcribe. Later that evening, in one of the most moving scenes in the series, Jesus brings Matthew to his side to compose the Beatitudes. Here is where the writers creatively include the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount by way of personal encounter. I’m here to start a revolution… a revolution, not revolt.” This exchange leads Jesus to create an introduction to the sermon that will serve as an invitation to the complex and challenging teachings he will propose. With a certain boldness, Matthew tells Jesus there is not enough “good news” in the Sermon! Jesus’ response is striking, “I’m not here to be sentimental and soothing. At one point, Jesus asks Matthew for his honest opinion about the sermon in draft form. As Jesus prepares his great Sermon on the Mount he takes Matthew along with him to write down the details. Jesus and Matthew have a similar encounter in the finale. For example, in episode 1 of season 2, Jesus reveals to John a bit about his identity as the divine Son of God, referencing the name God speaks to Moses through the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM.” This episode finishes with a flash-forward to John composing the prologue to his Gospel, informed by this encounter: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus seems to want this encounter to shape how John will humanly write about him in his Gospel. One of the creative moves the writers of The Chosen make is that they fill in the gaps of how specific passages of scripture might have come to be. It is these personal encounters between Jesus and his followers throughout the first two seasons that contextualizes the season 2 finale. Each has an encounter with him-completely personalized-that gives their lives a new horizon and a decisive direction to walk in. Each has a background, troubled in its own way. The women and men he calls to follow him each have their own story and experience. The image of Jesus comes to view primarily through the eyes of his disciples. Again, this is something different and refreshing in the world of Christian media. It is the first multi-season show about the life of Jesus and the number one crowdfunded media project in history, not to mention each episode is available to view for free. The Chosen is something different, and as Jesus says in one of the episodes, “get used to different.” Check out this article from The Atlantic if you need further proof. ![]() The internet is full of similar responses. He is not the only one to share this kind of sentiment. The above quote comes from one of my students. I teach an entry level theology class at Providence College and one of my assignments is to watch The Chosen and write a short reflection paper on the experience. Most of that kind of stuff isn’t any good. “Honestly Father, when you assigned the class to watch a Jesus show I was pretty skeptical. ![]()
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