Have you heard about The Chosen yet? Over the past year or so I’ve heard from several people about this new show about the life of Jesus Christ, and how good it was. I finally decided I needed to watch it so I downloaded the app (which you can do free HERE) and checked it out for myself. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.
The Chosen is a free TV mini-series that’s currently in its second season. It depicts the story of Jesus Christ from the Bible beginning with Mary Magdalene’s story along with Nicodemus, Simon Barjona who would later be called Peter, and Matthew the tax collector.
My whole life I’ve learned about Jesus Christ, and we were always highly encouraged in my home to come to know him personally. It wasn’t until I watched this show, however, that I began to realize that He was a person. An actual person. With a personality and everything!
That might seem kind of silly, but in all the depictions of Christ I have ever been exposed to they always seemed to skip over that part. The relatable part. The part where you think he could actually be your friend. While making sure we understand his perfection, they can sometimes make him into a being that is hard to relate to. Those depictions might not be wrong, necessarily. In truth we don’t really know exactly what His personality was like because the Bible doesn’t go into that kind of detail. But that is one of the things that most stood out to me in this tv series.
Jesus is portrayed as an incredible teacher. A teacher who laughs, who dances, who jokes, who loves little children, who performs miracles, who sees you through to your very core. And it portrays him as someone who many people did not necessarily recognize as the Messiah right away. Which is accurate. To many, He was just a regular guy, no one special. To others He was a threat.
Another thing I loved about this series is that it is cast incredibly well, with actors and actresses who actually look like they might have lived in Israel during that time, and who are so good at their job that they make you forget they’re acting. They portray Jesus as human, but guess who else was also human? Simon.
In the series, Simon gets himself into some trouble, falling far behind on his taxes and in incredible debt to the Romans. He strikes a deal with Quintus, the local Roman leader who will forgive his debt in exchange for spying on his own people and exposing those who are fishing on the sabbath and not paying taxes on those spoils. Local jewish law did not allow for fishing on the sabbath, and therefore the Romans did not patrol on that day.
Simon was a sinner, whom we all are to some degree. Simon heard about Jesus from his brother Andrew, but did not believe so quickly that He was the Messiah. Simon ultimately did not betray his own friends by turning them into the Romans, so in a final desperate attempt to save his skin, he went fishing all night to try to catch enough fish to pay of his debt. His brother Andrew and Zebedee and his two sons, James and John joined him and had no success. In the morning as they headed back to shore and as Simon was preparing to turn himself into the Romans, Jesus was found teaching a group of people. Jesus told them to cast their nets one final time. In an act of faith, Simon does so and their nets and boats are filled with more than enough fish to pay off Simon’s debt to the Romans.
My favorite part of watching the first season of The Chosen is that it has been incredibly thought-provoking. I find myself lost in my own thoughts while I’m doing dishes or vacuuming my house and thinking about Jesus and who He was. And now, after watching The Chosen I start thinking of him in that setting. I think of Him now as a living, breathing human being who is not only perfect, but who is also a relatable person. He knows me, He can converse with me, He understands me, He teaches me, and He makes me want to be better.
I think about Simon and what kind of a person he must have been. He was imperfect, but full of faith. As a result, Jesus helped him become a person of incredible integrity who accomplished some seriously amazing things. It took him some time to discover who he was and to become the person Jesus knew he would be, which is a good reminder for each of us. Through Jesus Christ we can all become who God knows we can be. We all have so much potential!
In case I haven’t made it clear, I’m a big fan of The Chosen. They just finished the first season, and are now posting episodes of the second season as quickly as they can get them edited! So just go right on ahead and download the app HERE and watch! Remember, it’s FREE! No subscription necessary. You won’t regret it, I promise.
XOXO,
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