by Paul Matheson

At morning Mass we’ve been listening to readings from the Acts of the Apostles. The Apostles are fascinating to us because we can see ourselves in them: they are human beings trying to follow Jesus and to understand his teachings.

That is part of the appeal of The Chosen: a crowd-funded, multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of his followers.

I began watching The Chosen because it comes up in discussions at church groups and Ignatian retreats. Its popularity is easy to understand. The acting is convincing and emotionally gripping. Jonathan Roumie’s performance as Jesus of Nazareth has rightly attracted widespread praise. The Chosen came up again recently during the Alpha course in our RC parish church: we talked about the problem of pain and suffering, and why God heals some people but does not heal everyone. Season 2 of The Chosen dramatises and explores that very question.

The approach taken by the writers is akin to the imaginative contemplation encouraged by Saint Ignatius Loyola. The most frequent way of praying that Saint Ignatius uses in ‘The Spiritual Exercises’ is that of imagining ourselves in the presence of Jesus in a scene from the Gospels. Praying with the imagination allows Christ in the Scripture to speak directly to us.

Gospel stories

Watching The Chosen has a comparable effect. Its gentle pace and immersive detail pull us deep into the gospel stories, presenting Jesus through the eyes of the people who knew him. The writers of The Chosen have explained that it is based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ, and that ‘backstories and some characters or dialogue have been added. However, all biblical and historical context and any artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures. Viewers are encouraged to read the gospels.’

If you’ve watched Season 1 of The Chosen (a review of which was published by Open House on 1 March 2024), you will recall that it ends in Samaria with the gospel scene where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4: 4-30). Season 2 begins with a startling ‘flash-forward’ in time. A succession of semi-familiar faces respond to the question ‘When did you first meet Him? When did you first know Him?’

The apostle Nathaniel replies with a tremble in his voice: ‘I don’t know how to describe it other than: He knew me before He knew me’. The elderly Mary of Nazareth replies ‘I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t know Him’. We are witnessing the first steps to recording the Gospels. Everyone looks older. Simon Peter’s hair has started to silver. The once boyish-faced Matthew now has a big black beard. We see that Mary now lives with John the beloved disciple and calls him ‘son’, just as Jesus wished. We learn that the first apostle has been martyred, lending an urgency to the need to record their eye-witness memories of Jesus. The dialogue skilfully incorporates lines of scripture, as when Mary of Nazareth says to John the Apostle: ‘I prefer to treasure these things in my heart’.

We are then returned in time, back to Jesus and his followers in Samaria. We learn how James and John acquired the nickname ‘Sons of Thunder’. Jesus challenges the apostles’ feelings of superiority and hostility towards Samaritans: he teaches them that God’s love is for everyone. The Chosen brings first century Judea and Samaria vividly to life with scriptwriting, sets and costumes all based on careful biblical scholarship. And yet, simultaneously, the gospel storylines speak directly to our present moment.

Present moment

Our new Pope Leo has publicly reminded world leaders that ‘Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others’. Shortly before his death, Pope Francis publicly answered the question ‘who is my neighbour?’ with Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. At his first General Audience, Pope Leo said ‘We are used to calculating and planning things, but love doesn’t work that way’. Pope Leo has continued Pope Francis’ series of reflections on the parables of Jesus, which he says ‘help us to rediscover hope, because they show us how God acts in history. While Jesus’ parables are taken from everyday life, their goal is to convey something more profound. They encourage us all to raise questions within us. Where am I in this story? What does this image say to my life?’

Watching The Chosen raises those same questions in us: Where am I in this story? What does this scene say to my life?

Season 2 is richly textured with scenes in which we are shown Jesus’ thoughtful, attentive kindness and the devotion it inspires. We see him teaching his message of compassion without limits, and we see joy, astonishment and fear among those who hear it. The followers of Jesus are entirely relatable characters, with flaws and weaknesses, just like the rest of us. It moves us deeply, because it means that we all have the capacity to become saints. Nothing is impossible for God.

Episode 2 sees Philip and Nathaniel join the followers of Jesus. Nathaniel is fleeing his past mistakes. The episode explores how people are often defined by their past and sometimes trapped there. In Episode 3, his followers debate who Jesus really is. They discuss the prevailing idea that we all require to be holy before the Messiah will come. Mary of Magdala says: ‘I don’t think he is waiting for us to be holy: I think he’s here because we can’t be holy without him’.

Episode 4 explores resistance to the Roman occupation of Judea. We are introduced to Simon the Zealot. We see love overcoming hatred. We see an assassin being transformed into a disciple of Christ. The disciples discuss the prophecy that the Messiah will end the Roman oppression, and they ask: how will that be possible without a military leader at the head of an army? Jesus smiles and says: ‘Something will have to change’. Jesus and the disciples head to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. We see the look on Jesus’ face as he passes three crucifixions outside the city gates. Inside Jerusalem, the gospel scene of Jesus healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9) is very powerfully and movingly rendered. In Episode 5, Jesus meets his cousin John the Baptist and they discuss their shared sense of a gathering storm as the authorities’ resistance to their ministry grows. Simon the Zealot pledges his service to Jesus by presenting his assassin’s dagger: Jesus smiles, takes the dagger and throws it into the river. Episode 6 explores a crisis of faith. We see Jesus healing a man with a withered hand in synagogue on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-5) and his disciples pluck ears of wheat on the Sabbath (Matthew 12: 1-8). In Episode 7, the Pharisees and the Roman authorities begin to fear Jesus’ growing following among the people. Jesus teaches his followers the Lord’s Prayer. In Episode 8, we are introduced to Judas Iscariot. Jesus sends disciples to look for a location where he can give an important sermon to the crowds gathering to hear him. Season 2 ends with thousands arriving for the Sermon on the Mount.

The producers of The Chosen have made it free-to-watch. Seven seasons are planned. It is available to watch at:  https://watch.thechosen.tv/

Paul Matheson is a policy advisor in equality, human rights and ethical standards in public life. He has a degree in Celtic Studies and a Postgraduate Diploma in Hindi. He has written music reviews for many years.