Tuesday, March 21, 2023

‘The Chosen’ Is a Remarkable TV Show

Have you heard about the TV series called “The Chosen”? It’s a fascinating show about the life of Jesus, and there are many unique features about it. First, it’s a crowd-funded streaming program. This means viewers who enjoy the show donate money, and when enough is collected, the producers begin filming the next episode. Right now, the show is in the middle of its 3rd season. Each of the first two seasons had eight episodes.


“The Chosen” is available to watch for free on the website of the production company, Angel Studios. It also can be watched on various streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Peacock.
Another unique feature of the show is that it really humanizes Jesus and His disciples. Over the years, many movies and TV shows attempted to portray the life of Christ, but often made everyone seem stiff and wooden. All the characters stood around proclaiming King James “thees” and “thous,” and they looked more like Shakespearean actors in clean costumes, rather than gritty fisherman and carpenters who lived in a harsh time and place. 

The producers and writers of “The Chosen” are devout Christians, and they make sure core doctrines of the faith are not watered down. Jesus is very human and relatable, but there is no doubt He also is the divine Son of God. And the miracles He performs are genuine miracles, not metaphors, illusions, or stories that got exaggerated years later. 

Because the show has multiple episodes, there is time to delve into the backstories of the characters. The series does a good job of staying faithful to the accounts of Jesus in the Bible, although they do take some artistic license regarding the chronology of events. And they do add a great deal of new information that fills in the gaps not mentioned in Scripture. Some of the background stories of the various characters are really interesting, and the writers of the show freely acknowledge that they completely invented these new narratives. Although these stories are not in the Bible, they never compromise the main message of God’s Holy Word. 
I’ve read a number of criticisms of “The Chosen.” Some fundamentalist Protestants claim the show is “too Catholic,” especially since the actor who plays Jesus, Jonathan Roumie, is a devout Catholic. Some Catholics say the show is “too Protestant,” because the creator of the show, Dallas Jenkins, is an Evangelical. Others criticize the program for adding to the events described in the Bible, and for sacrilegiously showing Jesus laughing. (Do they really think Jesus never laughed? Really? The Bible says Jesus is like us in every way, except sin. I’m pretty sure it’s not a sin to laugh.)

Obviously, you can’t please everyone, but the fact is, literally millions and millions of people have fallen in love with “The Chosen,” and quite a few, myself included, find that the show strengthens their faith life.

“The Chosen” reminds me of renaissance artwork. The gifted artists back in those days painted Jesus and other biblical characters so people could relate better to the Lord. When we see a beautiful depiction of Jesus, we can envision Him better in our minds and as a result feel closer to Him when we pray and meditate.
Hundreds of years ago, artists painted stunning images of Jesus’ life. The artists of today make videos and movies. The actors, writers, and producers of “The Chosen” have done an amazing job bringing Jesus to life in a very relatable and engaging way. Speaking personally, when I pray the Rosary now, I have two completely new images in my mind as I meditate on the Finding of Jesus in the Temple and the Wedding Feast at Cana, all because of how those events were depicted in “The Chosen.”

If you’ve never watched “The Chosen,” you should give it a try. Just go to www.angel.com and start watching. You don’t have to give them your email address or credit card number. That fact alone is a miracle from Heaven.

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