There are so many things I loved about The Chosen, and I wanted to talk about them here on the blog because they touch on so many themes we've discussed over the years.
First of all, I love that this a multi-ethnic world. Israel sits as the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the people living there in these films and shows need to look like it. The appearance of so many races and cultures in this series is beautiful and authentic.
Second, while the show does take creative liberties in telling its stories, it does so with a faithfulness to Scripture and established tradition. Creating these well-rounded stories involves imagining conversations and situations not explicitly depicted in the Gospels, but none of these conflict with the Bible.
Third, the show takes the time to establish the quirks and personalities of the different disciples and other major characters, diving deep into their motivations, felt needs, and backstory, which is where the above point comes into play. But I'm making it a separate point because disciples other than Peter and John are standing out to me (and I'm even understanding Peter better as well). They're not just a faceless, personality-less blob of people who are blundering about at times. They are having their brains blown pretty much at every turn and are trying to fit what they are learning with what they thought to be true. Jesus tells Peter in Episode 7 (my favorite!): "Get used to different". That is a process we get to see on screen and it's pretty cool.
Fourth, because the New Testament regularly refers to the Old Testament, they are able to reference and show scenes from the Old Testament and how they were understood by the first century characters.
Fifth, there are many Jewish cultural customs I noticed, from kissing the mezuzah to the importance of hospitality, observing Shabbat, and so much more.
Sixth, the first season follows Jesus' early ministry, before He was officially "public". It's easy to read the Gospels and lose track of when what event happened in Jesus' 3 years of earthly ministry. Other than a possible "clue" being that whatever happened at the beginning of a book was obviously early on; it can begin to run together. During what part of His ministry did Jesus heal the paralytic? Or talk to Nicodemus? Or meet the woman at the well? Does it matter?
I love the clear progression of this season, how it builds it each episode and links them all together in such a way that a viewer can clearly remember what comes when.
Finally, in the spirit of balance I will say one thing that I wish—I wish it could be filmed in Israel, or that more of Israel's landscape could be in the shots somehow. It was filmed in Texas, not Israel. Realizing just how complicated it would be to film in Israel, I think the setting of The Chosen is great. It's more that I just want to see Israel than this is an actual criticism of the series. 😜 Can you blame me?
So, basically, I highly recommend The Chosen. The points above are several reasons why—but not the main one.
Next week, we'll talk about Jesus. 🙌
What about you? Have you seen The Chosen yet? What has stood out to you about how this show is different from other portrayals of the life of Christ?
Second, while the show does take creative liberties in telling its stories, it does so with a faithfulness to Scripture and established tradition. Creating these well-rounded stories involves imagining conversations and situations not explicitly depicted in the Gospels, but none of these conflict with the Bible.
Third, the show takes the time to establish the quirks and personalities of the different disciples and other major characters, diving deep into their motivations, felt needs, and backstory, which is where the above point comes into play. But I'm making it a separate point because disciples other than Peter and John are standing out to me (and I'm even understanding Peter better as well). They're not just a faceless, personality-less blob of people who are blundering about at times. They are having their brains blown pretty much at every turn and are trying to fit what they are learning with what they thought to be true. Jesus tells Peter in Episode 7 (my favorite!): "Get used to different". That is a process we get to see on screen and it's pretty cool.
Fourth, because the New Testament regularly refers to the Old Testament, they are able to reference and show scenes from the Old Testament and how they were understood by the first century characters.
Fifth, there are many Jewish cultural customs I noticed, from kissing the mezuzah to the importance of hospitality, observing Shabbat, and so much more.
Sixth, the first season follows Jesus' early ministry, before He was officially "public". It's easy to read the Gospels and lose track of when what event happened in Jesus' 3 years of earthly ministry. Other than a possible "clue" being that whatever happened at the beginning of a book was obviously early on; it can begin to run together. During what part of His ministry did Jesus heal the paralytic? Or talk to Nicodemus? Or meet the woman at the well? Does it matter?
I love the clear progression of this season, how it builds it each episode and links them all together in such a way that a viewer can clearly remember what comes when.
Finally, in the spirit of balance I will say one thing that I wish—I wish it could be filmed in Israel, or that more of Israel's landscape could be in the shots somehow. It was filmed in Texas, not Israel. Realizing just how complicated it would be to film in Israel, I think the setting of The Chosen is great. It's more that I just want to see Israel than this is an actual criticism of the series. 😜 Can you blame me?
So, basically, I highly recommend The Chosen. The points above are several reasons why—but not the main one.
Next week, we'll talk about Jesus. 🙌
What about you? Have you seen The Chosen yet? What has stood out to you about how this show is different from other portrayals of the life of Christ?
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