The Chosen

I just finished The Chosen (season 2 and 3) after viewing Season 1 on Netflix. For those of you who haven’t seen season 1, it is available on Netflix, but for Season 2 and 3, I had to search for it on YouTube (or download the App: https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen).

I haven’t tried the app, and a little search on YouTube found many streamers who have it on their channel.

The show is not a visual or audible Bible. It is the telling of Jesus’ life and ministry from a very humanistic standpoint. It adapts many parables, stories and characters from the life of Jesus and blends it into the religious, cultural and historical nuances of Israel under Roman occupation. The telling of the story is poignant and historically accurate. All characters are well developed and gives deeper insights into the lives and signs of the time. I particularly love the glimpse into the lives of Jesus’ disciples. They were indeed a motley crew.

As a modern woman reading the Bible and drawing into it visually and drawing from my own subjective insights (with the Holy Spirits help), watching The Chosen has given me a deeper holistic understanding of Jesus and his world. At another level, I have also realized that our world today is a mirror image of that same world (with more dangerous technological weaponization of power). Racism, prejudice, the disenfranchised, et al are just as evident in our world today as it was during Jesus’ time.

What does it mean to be a Christian or Catholic today? That was a question that echoed in my mind. Jesus came into the world as the new Adam and the perfect role model for each of us to strive to be like and amplify. As I watched the sometimes conflicting relationships among all his disciples, it was Jesus at the core to keep the peace. It was Jesus to taught those around him to love, give and care. Through him, the light of his perfect humanity is what touched and transformed his followers – patience and love for all those around him.

It is for each of us to not only follow Jesus, and keep him centred in the core of our being – but to change ourselves to be more like him.

By focusing on Jesus, Peter (Simon) was able to take a few steps towards him before fear pulled him into the water – Jesus reminds Peter that he is ever present. Just as Jesus’ hand pulled Peter (Simon) out of the water, his hands pulls us out of the depth and points us to the Father.

God Bless 💕🙏

I had not watched The Chosen (Season 1) until this weekend. My parish priest had raved about this series and recommended it as a beautiful portrayer of Jesus.

Wrapping our heads around the hypostatic union of Jesus as one person with two nature – divine and human – can be grappling to understand.

From a personal perspective, I really appreciate how the Holy Spirit moves me time and time again to have a deeper understanding of Jesus’ human side. Between my daughter passing me tissues to wipe my eyes, not out of sadness, but with an inner joy, “Mom, why are you crying? You’ve read all this in the Bible and you know Jesus’ story.”

Reading and picturing the scene in my head is one thing, but to see it enacted adds to a holistic understanding of Jesus – the man, the son who was in constant communication with the Father, and his interaction and love for all the people around him. I also gained deeper insights into each of Jesus’ disciples. Just as I felt the pain Nicodemus the Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin was going through – the difficulty of giving up all to follow Jesus.

I am so often wrought by my own subjective reason and intellectualization that I miss the most basic teachings in the Bible. It is not through reason we come to Christ. Yes, for some it is, but for myself, it is to work beyond my own head space into faith – that means letting go of the mind and moving towards the “mysteries of God, and “Mysteries are not easy for a scholar”

I recommend taking the time to watch the first season of The Chosen now on Netflix. For myself, watching this was the Holy Spirit showing me that there is a bit of me in each of the people around Jesus.

SIN has permeated each of us, and Jesus points us to the Father:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:6-7 ESV

God Bless 💕🙏