Explore the compelling debate surrounding "The Chosen" and discover how one couple, initially hesitant due to theological concerns, found renewed spiritual fervor and deeper biblical understanding through the series during a difficult season. This article delves into the show's impact, Christian liberty, and the importance of respecting differing convictions within faith.
Have you ever felt stalked by a television show? For the past several years, my husband and I couldn’t get away from the hit show The Chosen. We’d never seen a single episode, which somehow made us targets for our extended families to suggest it regularly. “Oh man, you’ve got to watch The Chosen!” they proclaimed at every holiday or event.
We would always politely decline and smile as we listened to them go on about how great it was, but we had our reasons for not jumping on the global bandwagon.
Until we didn’t.
Let me explain. Few television shows have caused as much buzz as The Chosen. Dallas Jenkins, who is not only the creator but the director, co-writer, and executive producer, created a massive hit that has swept the globe for the past decade. The first season aired in 2017, and season five was released this spring. Now, two more seasons are still to come for seven.
For anyone unfamiliar (though honestly – HOW? Ha!) The Chosen is a historical drama television series that retells and recounts the journey of Jesus and the disciples. It starts with Jesus preparing for his ministry, calling the disciples, working different miracles, preaching, etc., and ending, thus far, in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Next season will feature the crucifixion) While leaning heavily on Biblical accounts, fictional license is taken to add subplots and side characters for entertainment purposes. Jenkins, however, has assured audiences that the fictional elements are still true to the culture, time period, and most importantly, the character of God displayed in Scripture.
As you can see, an immediate crossroads has been created here regarding such a show. Should Christians watch it? A lot of Christians, dare I say most, tend to err on the side (at least, in my experience) of an adamant “yes!” There are so many stories of people who were inspired to read their Bibles for the first time after watching the show, attending church, seeing an element of Jesus’ character that helped them grow spiritually, or offering forgiveness to a neighbor they’d withheld. Salvation testimonies, people growing in their faith. The show seems to have created a ton of good fruit worldwide. In addition, exposure to the accurately portrayed Jewish culture and traditions has also been very helpful for people who never studied it.
So why did my husband and I not watch such a show at first? Well, there’s a group with valid points standing on the other side of that crossroads, and those were the voices we listened to initially. There is certainly an element of caution when putting the Bible to film. The biggest concern we heard was that it could be a violation of the Second Commandment.
Exodus 20:4 (ESV) You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Many believe any means of visual art, be it a statue, painting, sketch, cartoon, promotional image, or actor portraying any trinity member, violates that commandment and therefore is a sin. To them, it’s that simple.
Many of my dear friends hold that view, and I respect it. I wasn’t sure I ever fully agreed with it when it came to the show itself, but I could see the wisdom in the caution there. Personally, being such a visual creature, I was simply afraid that I would see the face of the actor portraying Jesus when I went to pray, and I didn’t want that complication.
Because of all these various concerns, my husband and I decided not to watch the show.
Until one day.
I remember I was sitting on the couch in our living room. My husband and I were going through a tough season, our hardest one to date. We were in the biggest warfare of our lives, and were discouraged and weary more days than not. We knew God was moving in our lives, marriage, home, and family…but it was tough. A lot of things were in upheaval. A lot of things were unknown. Change was everywhere. For some reason, I had been thinking about the show for the better half a week and prayed about it. And that day, I looked at my husband and blurted out, “I think the Holy Spirit wants me to watch The Chosen.”
I’ll be honest, I expected a bit of pushback. After all, my theologically-wise husband, who had had a firm stance on the show all along, seemed to know more than I did in these areas. I trusted his discernment for our family…But I also knew what was in my heart. But you know what? He looked back at me and said, “Turn it on.”
We watched that first episode and bawled like babies. Then the second episode. More sobs. We ended up binging the entire five seasons in a few months, shedding tears every episode. That show we had so carefully avoided led to a renewed fervor in our walk that we desperately needed. It led us to dive deeper into our Bibles. We found ourselves pausing the show now and then to “fact check” and were delighted every time it was accurate to Scripture. I understood various stories better because of the visuals of the Jewish culture and the time period. Even the details that would be filed under fictional license were well done and could have been something that happened in that era, even though we can never know for sure.
For my husband and me, it showed an element of Christ's character and humanity that we needed to experience in that way. And the best part is, God knew all along. He knew we wouldn’t have appreciated it the way we did if we had watched it years prior. We needed it when we needed it.
You might read that and think “we shouldn’t need anything beyond Scripture,” and you’re right, in a sense. His Word is sufficient, but God is also not to be boxed. Who am I to say that He can’t, won’t, or doesn’t work through other means in His will? God Himself never changes, but I believe His choice methods of reaching hearts can vary from person to person, age to age.
And for us, in that incredibly painful season, it was through The Chosen.
I can’t speak for everyone; only the Holy Spirit can. But I believe that, at the end of the day, watching The Chosen, like many other decisions we make as believers, is a matter of Christian liberty. It’s not globally right or wrong for every believer. So I ask you this - what does the Holy Spirit tell you?
One of the essential things to remember is that if your neighbor’s opinion differs from yours, you should respect it. If someone has a firm conviction about the show, be it to watch or not to watch it, they should follow that conviction and trust the prompting of the Holy Spirit within them. At the same time, we should not judge or assume motive for our Christian neighbor who holds the opposite opinion. We’re all on this journey together, and these aren’t life or death issues worth fighting a brother in Christ over.
Though I will admit, I understand my family’s passion years prior. Now I’m the one often proclaiming, “Oh man, you’ve got to watch The Chosen!” (but no judgment if you don’t)::grin::
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Ridofranz
