Tag: The Chosen

Should You Choose “The Chosen”?

Brent Pollard

Neal’s Note: While I personally enjoy this series and don’t think there is anything wrong with watching it, I appreciate Brent’s caution to not let religious entertainment replace our responsibility to get our theology from careful Bible study (2 Tim. 2:15).

Paul immediately addresses Timothy, his young son in the faith, with a warning about the Judaizers (1 Timothy 1.3–7). If you look closely at verse seven, you’ll notice that Paul says those who want to teach the Law have no idea what they’re saying. These Judaizers may wish to appear knowledgeable, but their ignorance renders them unqualified to instruct. 1 Timothy 1.7 cautions against false teaching and highlights the importance of sound doctrine.

While we quickly see this about a group like the Judaizers, is it not also true of those who would unintentionally do the same? It is safe to say that many people have good intentions but fail to grasp the actual harm they cause by teaching something false. Take Apollos as an excellent example of this. Apollos believed that the baptism of John was still valid and preached as much. Fortunately, Priscila and Aquila were there to correct him privately (Acts 18.24–28).

But the damage Apollos inadvertently caused had already been done. In Acts 19.1–7, Paul encountered twelve men who had obeyed the teaching of Apollos. Paul corrected their misconception and assisted them in rendering obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine the fate of those twelve men had Paul not run into them in Ephesus! Given that we know Apollos’ heart, this was not his intention. However, confidently teaching things from ignorance has repercussions.

I imagine I am about to step into some hot water, but it is necessary to do so as I hear more and more of my brethren extolling the virtues of Dallas Jenkins’ The Chosen. The series itself begins with a disclaimer that many will likely ignore. The Chosen’s producers tell us, “Backstories and some characters or dialogue have been added.” They then add, “However, all biblical and historical context and any artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures.” (“I Have Called You by Name”) 

Without even delving into the show itself, one should be alarmed that they freely admit that they have made additions to the Gospel story. In God’s Word, we are warned several times against adding to or taking from the Word of God (Deuteronomy 4.2; 12.32; Proverbs 30.6; Revelation 22.8). We should also be wary of what follows when Angel Studios says they derive this from an artist’s “imagination.” In his original dictionary, Noah Webster notes that imagination is a “conceit; an unsolid or fanciful opinion.” (“Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Imagination”) So why do we want such a production about the Son of God?

As soon as the first episode begins, we learn that the pharisee Nicodemus is an exorcist, Peter and Andrew are having tax issues, and Matthew has some intriguing quirks, which later episodes explain are due to his Aspergers! That is a lot to unpack in a show that purports to help me better appreciate the life and mission of Jesus and His followers. Nevertheless, the response is nearly unanimous about why the show appeals to most of those I have spoken with. Viewers love the portrayal of Jesus in His humanity—a compassionate man with a good sense of humor.

I appreciate that. I admit that the actor portraying Jesus does a wonderful job. I, too, love the idea of my Lord smiling and palling around with His disciples. But I need help to sit through something otherwise potentially misleading to appreciate what Jonathan Roumie brings to his portrayal of my Lord. There is too much for me to ignore willingly.

The objector says this could be an excellent way to introduce the lost to Jesus. Though I appreciate any tool that can help evangelize others, this is something on which you have to spend a lot of time explaining how it differs from the Gospels. It ends up accomplishing what other pop-culture phenoms and Christian-based fiction have produced. How many eschatological views do people hold that are more “Timothy LaHaye” than biblical? How many visuals of the war in heaven do people erroneously subscribe to, thanks to John Milton’s Paradise Lost?

As Christians, we have liberty. So, I don’t want to hinder anyone from watching something entertaining that is undoubtedly more wholesome than any secular programming one might watch. As portrayals of Jesus go, this is not blasphemous like The Last Temptation of Christ or as disorienting as imagining Clueless alum Jeremy Sisto as God’s Son in Jesus (1999). But, please, “caveat oculus”—let the eye be careful. Nobody wants to stand before God’s judgment seat and discover that they are lost because they blindly believed something false confidently taught to them by another.

 1 “I Have Called You by Name.” BYUtv, 18 Apr. 2019, www.byutv.org/413b4c41-0bc2-405e-a10b-7fd147d3c607/the-chosen-i-have-called-you-by-name.

2 “Websters Dictionary 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Imagination.” Websters Dictionary 1828, webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/Imagination.

A GLIMPSE OF HOW JESUS DID MINISTRY (Luke 5:12-26)

NOTE: Brent had surgery today to have a tracheotomy put in place. He’s still very critical and today marks one month in the Trauma ICU at Erlanger’s Hospital in Chattanooga, TN. People from all over have been praying. Thank you! Please continue in prayer for him. I’m filling in for Carl today, who is filling in for Brent tomorrow. Here’s today’s “Preachers Pollard” blog post…

Thursday’s Column: Brent’s Biblical Bytes

Neal Pollard

I taught the course, The Preacher And His Work, at the Bear Valley Bible Institute for about a decade. At one point during those years, I reworked the curriculum and my approach was that God had one son, and He was a preacher (a famous quote from a 19th-Century Spurgeon sermon). Every one of us who serve formally as gospel preachers have the perfect model of a preacher in Jesus. But, thinking more broadly about the service (ministry) we have as Christians, He serves as an example for all of us. In this paragraph, we have the perfect microcosm of Jesus’ overall approach to service that can help us as we try to serve Him every day.

JESUS SERVED WITH HUMBLE WILLINGNESS (12-15). Jesus has just picked a small group of men to mentor (1-11), and what better way to start their training than by showing them how to respond to those in need? Of course, Jesus’ mission was broader than theirs or ours. He was proving Himself to be the Son of God by “miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through” Him (Acts 2:22). But the “how” of His approach is worthy of our imitation. A man in deplorable condition begs for His help, if He is willing, and Jesus says, “I am willing” (13). Then, He helps Him. But, Jesus is not wanting fame or acknowledgement. He even asks the healed leper not to tell anyone except the priest as he went and obeyed God’s commandment by making an offering for the cleansing according to the Law of Moses (14). Despite Jesus’ desire that this remain a secret, news inevitably spread! Jesus shows us a heart willing to help, but not wanting the credit. What an example! 

JESUS SUPPLEMENTED HIS SERVICE WITH SOLITUDE AND PRAYER (16). This is a remarkable, almost parenthetical statement. Between the leper and the paralytic, as well as others whose stories aren’t specifically shared by Luke, Jesus needed to “often slip away to the wilderness and pray” (16). This phrase is pregnant with meaning. He would go “often,” not occasionally. The perfect Son of God often needed the spiritual recharge He got from communion with God. How much more is that true of us? The word translated “slip away” conveys the idea of retreat or withdrawal, and implies going to a place and spending some time there (BDAG 1043). I wonder how someone doing such prolific and prominent work could manage to slip away, but it must have meant so much to Jesus that He insured that it happened. The more actively I serve Jesus, the more crucial time spent alone with God becomes! I do not want to be so focused on spiritual service that I neglect my own spiritual strength! 

JESUS STRENGTHENED HIS MESSAGE WITH SERVICE (17-26). The bulk of this parable is devoted to the healing of the paralytic, who is aided by the service of his friends. We’re familiar with this story, as friends filled with faith, lower the paralyzed man through a roof for Jesus to heal him. We may forget that the occasion that drew such a crowd was Jesus’ teaching people who had come from near and far, including teachers of the law. The service-opportunity, Jesus being asked to heal the paralytic, was in the middle of the teaching opportunity. Jesus amplified the power and truth of His message by His humble willingness to help. Jesus proves the authority of His work and message, as well as His power to forgive, by healing him. 

Notice how the people reacted (26). They were struck with astonishment. They glorified God. They were filled with fear. They left that day with an unforgettable impression. We understand that Jesus’ mission was unique. His purpose was greater than ours, proving Himself to be God in the flesh, endowed with miraculous powers, and doing all of it with perfect sinlessness. But, His mentality and His ethic is completely reproducible. God needs you and me actively serving Him before a lost and dying world. We have the power to help everyone with their greatest need, but we can support the message just as Jesus did. We can prove God’s love by our willing service. Let’s all do ministry like Jesus did, and we will impact the world just as He did.  

Have you watched “The Chosen”? Very touching series!