Hi. Welcome to my recap and reaction to The Chosen, the crowd-funded, first ever multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus and his disciples. You can find my prior posts about the show HERE.
THE QUICK AND CLEAN SUMMARY:
via wiki:
Praetor Quintus sends Gaius to arrest Jesus after learning of Jesus's whereabouts from Atticus Aemilius. As the group prepares for Jesus's upcoming big sermon, Andrew worries unpleasant things will happen. Shmuel returns to Capernaum with Yanni and asks Yussif about Tamar. Gaius detains Jesus, and Jesus peacefully surrenders. The disciples lose control as they argue about how to respond. In Jotapata, while seeking information about where Jesus is, Andrew and Philip encounter Tamar and Tamar's healed paralytic friend, Ethan, who offer testimonies of the miracle. Praetor Quintus meets with Jesus and questions him concerning his deeds and actions. Seeing that he poses no threat, Praetor Quintus releases Jesus with a stern warning. Madai and Lamech meet Shmuel and Yanni in Jotapata and inform them about Jesus. Andrew tells Tamar and Ethan to be silent, supported by a disguised Yussif to warn them of Shmuel. Later that night, Jesus returns to his disciples, who ask him how to pray, and Jesus teaches them a prayer.
THE EXTRA DUSTY RECAP:
Atticus seeks out a meeting with Quintus, concerning Jesus.
Simon, Andrew, Big James, and John compete to see who can throw a rock the farthest, as a way of deciding how the labor is split up. Big James wins, so he and John win the right to return to Jesus while Simon and Andrew fish. Andrew is upset about this, though, believing that all four of them should be fishing as instructed.
When Big James and John return to Jesus, he asks about the fact they are supposed to be fishing. Big James replies that Simon and Andrew said they could handle it.
Jesus: Hmm. You won a contest, huh?
Jesus is preparing a sermon. He wants his students to understand why He is giving it. He wants them to understand that each person who will hear it is important. He says that people will be coming because they have heard about the signs and wonders, but says that the truth He will give them is what is important.
Jesus: This will define our whole ministry and that's what we need to focus on.
Rabbi Shmuel returns to Capernaum with Rabbi Yanni and asks the Pharisees there about Tamar, who witnessed the healing of the leper, which they suspect may have happened on Shabat. Yusef, the local Rabbi, seems somewhat put off by their zeal to go after Jesus.
Yusef: With all due respect, Teacher, I thought you went to Jerusalem to study false prophecy, not to hunt down this one man from Nazareth of all places.
They press Yusef as to her location, which he provides because it has been reported she was telling people about Jesus on the streets. Yanni calls this another blasphemy and says that such things are like a wildfire with Jesus, everywhere He goes. When Yusef asks them what they will do if they discover the leper was not healed on Shabbat and they do not reply to him. Yusef breaks the silence by suggesting that they share their experiences in Jerusalem in the local synagogue. Shmuel says he would like that, but notes he has anther person to speak with as well.
Simon and Andrew talk on the boat about eating the grain on Shabbat. Andrew is worried about the fact that the Pharisees reported the incident. Simon tries to tell him not to worry, admitting that he is guilty of riding unnecessarily to Jesus's rescue on more than one occasion, too. Andrew reminds him of what just happened to John the Baptist.
Andrew: We cannot let them do that to Jesus.
Simon: We won't...
Andrew: Then let's not make a scene everywhere we go, that's all I'm saying.
Shmuel seeks an audience with Quintus. He informs them that Jesus was scene in Jerusalem five days ago. He is surprised when he is told that this is outdated intelligence. A soldier informs Shmuel that they will have Jesus in their custody tomorrow and asks Shmuel about the Zealots. Shmuel is taken completely aback and argues that while Jesus is dangerous, He is not aligned with the Zealots. The Romans dismiss him, though. Before he goes, Shmuel requests an opportunity to speak with Jesus, once he is in custody, and he is told that they wil pass his request along. Shmuel asks if they will really and is told no. A soldier tells him to leave.
Atticus and Gaius lead a small group of soldiers to arrest Jesus. Atticus recommends going around the city, the long was to Jesus' camp, to avoid hostilities in the city. He points out that the local Roman Praetor does not have control there as well as Quintus does in Capernaum. As they chat, we learn that Atticus detests Quintus. We also learn that Atticus is intrigued by Jesus due to the miracles he has performed.
Atticus: He doesn't strike me at all as threatening or scary. And that scares me.
Simon and Andrew argue over recent events on the boat. Andrew is upset with everyone - including Mary Magdalene - for drawing so much attention to Jesus. Simon defends the group, and Mary Magdalene, to his brother.
Simon: She dealt with it the best way she knew how.
Andrew: She should have gone to Jesus!
Simon: She knows that now. If you remember, Jesus was disarming Crazy Simon and his dagger.
Andrew: Oh, *he's* the crazy Simon?
Andrew continues worrying, though, telling Simon that the stress they put on Jesus caused him to snap at the Pharisees, which will in turn lead them to hunt Him down. Simon tells his brother that this is just fear talking, but Andrew pushes back noting his own experience in this is more than Simon's. He says that when they decide they don't like you, it's over.
Simon points out that Andrew was the one who told him Jesus was the Messiah. He asks if he's going to have to remind Andrew now. They are interrupted by the site of an encampment of Roman soldiers. Simon asks Andrew to take a deep breath. They watch from the boat as the Romans arrive to arrest Jesus.
On the shore, Jesus tells the group not to be afraid, and to continue planning. He assures them that he will be back. Gaius addresses Jesus and informs Him that He is sought for questioning. Jesus complies without hesitation, except for asking permission of Gaius to say goodbye to his mother first. Gaius grants the request. Without being prompted, Jesus informs Gaius that Matthew is safe, doing well, and is back at the camp. Gaius seems pleased to hear it though he notes their group looks underfed and filthy. Jesus replies that they had a bit of a hungry spell. Gaius approaches Jesus.
Gaius: [whispering] He is used to eating well. What do you have to offer him?
Jesus: Should we talk about this later?
Gaius nods and tells his soldiers to move out.
Andrew and Simon arrive to the camp, a short time later, and berate the others for doing nothing when Jesus was arrested. Big James tells them he was detained, not arrested, and that Jesus told them to comply. Andrew, panicked, tells the others that he will go north to the next down and petition for Jesus's release. John tells him that Jesus did not ask for his help, leading Andrew to shout that He should not have to ask.
Mary Magdalene offers to accompany Andrew, saying that she feels responsible. He tells her she might be and asks how she could leave. Simon tells Andrew to stop his behavior right now. Philip interjects to Mary Magdalene an offer to accompany Andrew, noting that he has a lot of experience waiting for a rabbi outside of jails. Andrew storms off, and Philip follows him more calmly.
Shmuel and Yanni seek out Tamar.
The disciples who remain in the camp debate their next move. Simon the Zealot argues for insurrection, while the others debate his words and Mary Magdalene's recent disappearance comes up again in their argument. She apologizes to all of them, before reminding them that Jesus said He would be back. Then she and Mary the Mother of Jesus leave the tent together. This shames them into silence.
Philip and Andrew reach the next town. Philip leads the way to the jail, knowing already where it is located. As they walk, they find Tamar telling crowds on the street about Jesus. Her formerly paralytic friend is with her, sharing his story also. Against Philip's wishes, Andrew makes himself known to her and she recognizes Andrew as a fellow witness of these miracles. Andrew pleads with them to come with him. Once pulled aside, he begs them to stop drawing attention to Jesus.
Jesus is brought to meet with Quintus. Gaius reports that His followers were peaceful. Quintus tells Him that he expected Jesus to be wilder looking, wearing animal skins. They talk some more, with Quintus introducing Atticus, and sharing that the first time he was ever gien notice about Jesus concerned an impossibly large catch of fish. He asks if Jesus has ever visited the Far East. Jesus replies that He has received visitors from there, but has never been there Himself. Quintus explains that they eat fish raw there, spitting out the bones. He compares Jesus causing property damage due to a large gathering, and seducing away his most effective tax collector as "bones." Quintus adds that Atticus personally witnessed Jesus disarming a Zealot, and describes that as "flesh." Quintus tells Jesus that He seems to be splitting His time between creating headaches for Rome and victories they could nt have achieved on their own.
Quintus tells Jesus that he does not know whether to eat Him or spit Him out. He tells Jesus that he likes Him, but asks Jesus not to make him kill Him.
Jesus: I won't make you do anything. But my Father on the other hand...
Quintus: I don't know what that means, but let's leave on a high note.
Jesus is released. As He goes, Quintus apologizes about His cousin. Jesus replies that John knew what he was getting himself into. Quintus asks Jesus if He knows what He is getting himself into. The moment is tense, but Jesus tells him it was a privilege to speak with him today. As he goes, Quintus comments to Atticus about how fun that was.
Shmuel and Yanni find the place where Tamar and the former paralytic had been preaching, but they are now gone with Andrew and Philip. However, they do find the Rabis from the synagogue where Jesus healed the man's withered hand and outside of which his disciples ate grain on the Sabbath.
As Andrew pleads with Tamar about keeping silent, they are joined by Yusef, the Pharisee, who is in disguise. He warns Tamar that she is being sought for questioning by Shmue and Yanni. He warns her that Shmuel will twist her testimony to make an argument about false prophecy. Yusef tells Andrew to get Tamar out of there, and when Andrew asks why he is helping, Yusef replies that this is his own business.
Yusef: I believe that my Rabbi Nicodemus saw something remarkable in your master. Shmuel is threatened by what he can't comprehend. Worse, he's ambitious.
Philip rejoins the group and tells them that Jesus is no longer here. When he is met with silence, he suggests that Andrew can fill him in on the road.
that night, Jesus returns to the camp. He informs them that He is safe and that the Romans just wanted to talk. Jesus reminds them that there is a big event to prepare for. Big James finds out that Jesus went to pray before rejoining their camp and asks why He did not tel them first, due to their worry.
Jesus: Did I not tell you that I would be back? You are all going to have to learn to do this, regardless of what's happening, good or bad. Things are only going to get more difficult. You can't just shut down when you are fearful. And what are you going to do when I am no longer here?
John acknowledges that they are all figuring this out, and Simon adds that they can and will do better. John asks Jesus about a prayer that John the Baptizer gave to his followers, in addition to the daily traditional prayers. He asks if Jesus can do the same, and Big James says he too would like to know more about what Jesus is saying when He is out alone.
Jesus tells them that now they are behaving like true students. He explains the importance of prayer and teaches them to pray.
That night, while the others sleep, Jesus wakes Matthew. He asks Matthew to help Him organize His sermon material. Matthew gets his tablet to write things down.
REACTION:
Before I looked into it after watching the episode, I knew that it must have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I'm not sure that poetic license extends all the way to a fictional meeting between Jesus and the Roman Praetor and a Jesus who does sermon prep as depicted. The former seems as though it would have been recorded in one of the Gospels. Most of the series' inventions so far have existed in the "highly plausible to have happened, but not important enough to have been recorded" domain. This scene was much less plausible in that respect. As to Jesus doing sermon notes, I think you have to assume that Jesus was using the opportunity of His sermon to disciple Matthew individually and to create a written record of His words through Matthew. Did He actually need help organizing His thoughts? Probably not. Though that does create some discussion material for the audience as to what "fully human AND fully God" actually means in real terms. Jesus doing sermon notes felt like a way to make Him more relatable to the preachers who watch the show than anything else.
The main subject of this episode is fear and it was covered in a lot of different directions. It can be easy to forget the human perspective of the disciples. They are part of a people conquered by Romans. As we saw a couple episodes ago with Mary Magdalene, the Romans could be terrifying (a fact you forget as an audience member when you like Quintus and Gaius.) Andrew and Simon got a chance to demonstrate that fear, when they saw the Romans from the boat. The camp did the same when the Romans arrived to arrest Jesus. The reminder was helpful, in my opinion.
It is clear that the disciples are still expecting an earthly Messiah, which is something in step with Scripture. The Zealot is not the only one anticipating an eventual military component to what they are doing. Andrew also appears to be expecting that. More than the other disciples, Andrew reacts with supreme fear regarding the news of John the Baptist's arrest and then Jesus's detainment. His reaction makes sense from his still-limited perspective about the ministry he is now part of. Could the Romans arrest and kill the Messiah? In theory no, but perhaps yes, if the Messiah is merely a man, limited by the mistakes of his followers. I do think it would be helpful though to explore why Andrew specifically reacted so much, though. Is there something in his backstory to explain this? We'll see how the next episode handles it.
Interestingly, and fittingly, the three wildest of Jesus' follows - Simon, John, and Big James - are good at handling fear and they are starting to take the reigns of leadership in their group. Simon's trip with Matthew to rescue Mary Magdalene seems to have given him a stronger sense of Jesus's purpose and a stronger faith in Him. Big James and John seem to have taken their rebuke ("Sons of Thunder") very seriously.
In addition to fear in the camp of Jesus's followers, we see fear from Gaius, regarding Jesus. His fear is rooted in his concern for Matthew. During the arrest, Jesus disarms his animosity by immediately reassuring him about Matthew's well-being, before He is even asked. Atticus confesses his fear of Jesus, to Gaius, and his fer is rooted in not understanding Jesus. He cannot see malice in Him, thus he assumes an unknown danger lurking beyond view. Shmuel is also fearful. His fear is of anything outside of his own comprehension. Rather that seeking after that unknown, with curiosity (like Nicodemus and Yusef), he wants to destroy it. This is his great flaw. The show has made his effort an earnest one, which I think is useful and relatable. Much of the evil in the world is motivated by good intentions.
The highlight of the episode was the conversation between Jesus and Quintus (Brandon Potter.) Setting aside whether the show went too far in staging this conversation (I am on the fence, but I lean toward thinking they did), it was highly enjoyable to watch the two characters interacting. Potter's Quintus is so arrogant and disdainful that he seems to find a delightful surprise all around him. Roumie's Jesus, in turn, handles the giggling megalomaniacal Roman Praetor as you would expect, calmly and with mystery of His own. I laughed at how their meeting ended.
Jesus: I won't make you do anything. But my Father on the other hand...
Quintus: I don't know what that means, but let's leave on a high note.
I will confess some mystery as to why the disciples were so angry with Mary Magdalene for leaving. If we are supposed to believe she drew attention to them, or delayed them in such a way that they drew attention to themselves, that was not really conveyed to the audience. As far as I can tell, Andrew lashed out at her because she was an easy target and lashing out is the sort of thing you do when you're overcome with fear.
I liked how the episode closed its subject, on the topic of fear.
Jesus: Did I not tell you that I would be back? You are all going to have to learn to do this, regardless of what's happening, good or bad. Things are only going to get more difficult. You can't just shut down when you are fearful. And what are you going to do when I am no longer here?
This is followed by Jesus teaching his disciples the Lord's Prayer just after, to end the episode. (Matt. 6:9-15) Prayer is an effective way to handle fear and to avoid "shutting down."
All in all, this was a good episode, though still not quite at the high mark we saw in episode 12, "The Perfect Opportunity." It was great to see Brandon Potter's Quintus again, as he is fantastic in that role. With a lot of set-up regarding those who oppose them (the Romans and Jewish religious leaders), Jesus's big sermon should be how the season ends. I think it's set up well and I look forward to seing how they execute the episode.
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