The Chosen
As my all-time favorite artist, Andrew Peterson, proclaims in his song All Things New, “The stories are true!” The passages we read in scripture aren’t just for us to study, dissect, interpret meaning from. They are true stories that were once lived by actual human beings with flesh and bones and emotion and personality. It’s history, and it’s rich, complex, and interwoven all together. However, sometimes when I’m reading the Gospels or hearing them proclaimed from a pulpit, I forget. I deflate and reduce the words as they enter me through more of a feeding tube rather than actually tasting them over and over again with enjoyment and discovery. The Gospels were not gifted to us to simply be consumed. They are written to be tasted. That’s why the Church encourages the practice of Lectio Divina where we have the opportunity to chew on the word of God slowly so that He might reveal a new flavor to us. We can pray with our imagination and put ourselves into the stories that were written into history with us in mind.
This past Good Friday, I was really trying to “enter in” to the day. But to be honest, I spent most of my day trying to figure out what that meant. What was the “right way” for me to remember what happened 2000 years ago and let it penetrate my being. I read scripture, I sat in silence, I talked to God, I watched Christian musicians go live on Instagram and Facebook, I worked in my yard, I listened to Andrew Peterson, and I took two naps. I still felt like I wasn’t doing the day justice. Maybe because that’s impossible.
But as the hours passed, and I began counting down until bedtime trying my best to hold on to the purpose of this commemorative day, I remembered seeing some ad about a show on Jesus’ life. I looked it up weary of the potential heresies or misinterpretations I might encounter, but also hungry for a new medium to feed my prayer. On guard to keep myself from being fooled to replace scripture with this television show, I began to watch The Chosen. Immediately, before the first episode began, a message appeared on the screen stating, “The Chosen is based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ. Some locations and timelines have been combined or condensed. 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.”
I can’t emphasize enough the trueness of that bolded statement. It sounds silly to say, but this show has enhanced and deepened my personal relationship with Jesus and helps me to declare with more boldness that “The stories are true!” Jesus as a human, had a personality and probably, because he was God, the most likable personality there ever was. He had a sense of humor. He was relational. He liked food. Why would God not make himself likable (excuse the potentially bad theology there)? If that’s the case and that same Jesus wants a relationship with me...how can I not respond by accepting that invitation with elation, joy, and comfort? How do I ignore this person pursuing me throughout the entire day?
I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you and simply invite you to watch The Chosen for yourself.