My wife stumbled on The Chosen video series early in the Pandemic shut down. After watching the first episode, she invited me to watch episode two. I did and was immediately hooked. We watched all eight episodes over the course of two evenings.
Within a few days, I heard Bishop Barron and Dr Scott Hahn speak positively about the videos, a confirmation that it has merit and benefit on many levels. It is an amazing series and I think it should be included among the tools we use for the New Evangelization.
What makes this series so special?
Three things.
#1: Sans Fromage (without the cheese). I can only imagine how difficult it must be to strike the right balance. How does one artistically capture what seems diametrically opposed – Jesus’ unique and compelling human personality with his divine nature. How do you portray in a finite film what is infinite and a true mystery? If great heresies have been born from inaccurately interpreting this mystery, certainly artistic anaemia would be understandable. But The Chosen nailed it.
How does one artistically capture what seems diametrically opposed – Jesus’ unique and compelling human personality with his divine nature. Click To TweetWe owe The Chosen director, Dallas Jenkins, a great deal of credit and appreciation. He portrays Jesus doing what only God can do. He frees people from demonic possession, turns water into wine, heals lepers and raises the dead. But in doing so, the character of Jesus never loses an ounce of his humanity.
In The Chosen, Jesus is playful, empathetic and observant, much like your best friend is on a good day. He is thoroughly engaged and enjoying life on earth, as though he believes the created world is “good, very good.” He is deeply and emotionally engaged with every person he encounters, Matthew, Peter, Nicodemus and Magdalen. He is captivated by their stories, knows where they have come from, knows what they can become and passionately desires it for them.
His eyes communicate such warmth, delight, and familiarity – as though he knows them intimately before meeting them, he knows their deepest sadness, and greatest hopes. He is anything but stoic or aloof. He is not pretending to be human nor is his divine nature overwhelming. He jokes with Peter and his wife as any good mate would with his married friends. He speaks tenderly to those in pain, the addicted and outcasts.
He is empathetic yet fierce. He is always and everywhere in complete control of the situation, without being controlling, fitting for one who carries himself as meek and humble of heart. He has a vibrant personality in the way one would if he created zebras and penguins, rhinoceros’ and giraffe’s; the rainbow and lightning, the oceans and mountains, the stars and the universe. Jesus is as he would be. Well done, Dallas Jenkins, well done.
In The Chosen, Jesus has a vibrant personality, fitting for the One who created zebras and penguins, rainbows and lightning, the oceans and mountains, the stars and the universe. Click To Tweet He is always and everywhere in complete control of the situation, without being controlling. Fitting for one who carries himself as meek and humble of heart. Click To Tweet#2: Character Development. The creators of The Chosen have gone to great lengths to develop the characters familiar to us in the Gospel stories. To name a few: The Apostle Peter, Mary Magdalene, Matthew the tax collector, and Nicodemus the teacher of Israel.
It is through the brilliant character development that the plot thickens. As Jesus encounters each story on screen, you can see that he is the Master of the defining moment. Jesus warmly invites everyone to find fulfilment in following him, yet in this act of invitation, each person must still make their own decision. Freely and without coercion.
As Jesus enters the unfolding story of each character, you can see that he is the Master of the defining moment. Click To TweetJenkins makes the characters relatable as well. Many men, for example, can relate to the overwhelming situation that Peter finds himself in the night before his great haul of fish. The scene culminates with Peter’s expression of faith in Jesus and admittance of his faults, failures and sins. Then the very next scene, we see that same Peter suggesting Matthew is too far gone to be included in the small but growing fellowship of men following Christ. Jesus reminds Peter that his own shortcomings did not impede him from receiving an invitation. “Yah,” said Peter, “But this is different.” Jesus has the final word, “Get used to different,” he said to Peter, then walks with Matthew under his arm.
Of course, we cannot know for sure if the stories depicted in The Chosen are fact from 2,000 years ago, but we can say that these stories do not contradict what is in the scripture. This kind of plot development helps animate the familiar stories to build our faith and inspire us anew.
#3: Jesus the Protagonist. I think this is the greatest gift given to us in The Chosen – communicating with utter clarity that Jesus is the protagonist in each relationship. He never sits idle. He never waits for the one He is pursuing to “come to their senses” or “get cleaned up first.” He invades every story in a manner fitting of a kind, seeking, loving, fierce, and powerful saviour.
Why is this important? Many of us carry in our hearts a significant burden of guilt and shame. Feeling bad for what you have done (guilt). Or feeling bad for who we are (shame). Some of us are burdened by the guilt of our own sins, some wracked with shame from the sins of others. When we focus entirely on the reality of being “unworthy” of his mercy, we lose the experience of being “unconditionally” loved.
When we focus too much on the reality of being “unworthy”, we tend to lose the experience of being “unconditionally” loved. Click To TweetMost people are convinced that drawing near to God can happen only after one makes himself worthy of his presence. The Chosen blows this mindset out of the water. Was Mary Magdalene worthy of Jesus’ intervention? Was Peter deserving of his help? Did Matthew the tax collector win Jesus over by his virtue and admirable adherence to the law? Of course not.
Make no mistake, Jesus wants holiness in us but will accompany us from the very beginning. I think the prayer of Pope Francis sums it up best when he prayed for a culture of encounter, an openness to encountering Jesus or at least being open to Him encountering us. In that blessed encounter, we will feel as we are truly are, chosen in Him.
Do yourself a favour and watch all 8 available episodes of The Chosen.