Indescribable Compassion
The Chosen (Season One, Episode Six)
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing some thoughts and reflection questions for each episode of the TV show, The Chosen. I hope you’ll join me for this spiritual journey and pray that you’ll be open to hear what God might be wanting to communicate to you through this show! :)
GETTING TO KNOW HIM
Word about Jesus’ existence is quickly starting to spread, and in this episode, we can see a few characters wrestling with trying to further understand who he actually is. First, there is Matthew. The Roman guards don’t believe his story of how Simon and Andrew were able to pay off their debt so quickly by catching so many fish. You can clearly tell that Matthew is unsettled by the whole situation. I mentioned in my post on Episode 4 that the detail of him following Simon and recording his every move would be important, and it is exactly for this reason. Matthew needed to physically witness the impossible become possible. He knew precisely how much debt Simon and Andrew were in (over 2 years worth), and he watched them attempt to fish all night and catch nothing. And then, he saw thousands of fish come out of nowhere and completely fill two boats, enough to pay off the entire accumulated debt. As someone who is very particular about detail and getting things right, this strange and unknown man (Jesus) is someone that he simply can’t figure out. He even goes to Simon and Andrew to ask them about “the man from the shore who made the fish appear.” He tells them that the Romans don’t believe what he saw, but he does. He says, “I need to know….am I deceived?” To which Andrew replies, “What good is our answer if you don’t listen to yourself.” This line stood out to me because it reminded me of the importance of self-acceptance of truth. For example, I can hear over and over again from others that Jesus loves me, but if I don’t personally accept it, then it won’t make a difference how many times I hear it. I have to know it (in my mind) AND know it (in my heart), and I think this is what Matthew is wrestling with in this episode. He knows Jesus in his mind, even if he can’t understand who he is or how he is able to do what he is doing, but he is struggling to know him in his heart. Although, this is what makes the final scene in this episode so beautiful, where Jesus and Matthew exchange a look in the alley before Jesus is ushered off with his disciples. He cuts right to his heart, gazing upon him with a look of authentic love that Matthew may not have ever experienced before in his life, or at least not since before he was disowned by his family. Just that look alone might have been enough to finally get Matthew to let Jesus into his heart and to trust in what he is doing, even if he can’t fully understand it.
Second, there is the general crowd. What has started out as just “Mary and the boys,” has now grown into something much larger, as people are curious to “come and see” what this man is teaching and to ask him questions. In the crowd in this episode, we see some familiar faces, such as the two guests from Mary’s Shabbat dinner and two children with whom Jesus interacted with and taught during his time in the woods. Perhaps a few of these familiar faces have shared the news of who Jesus is and have invited their friends to “come and see” him for themselves. This episode is the perfect example of how spiritual multiplication can and should work in our daily lives. We are called to spread truth, the joy of the Gospel, and who God is to all those we encounter. By sharing the greatest love story of all time and sharing with others that it is their love story too, others might desire to learn more. Similarly, personal accompaniment and invitation is key. By growing in relationship with someone and then inviting them to come learn about who God is, you get to both grow the Kingdom and accompany each other on the spiritual journey. If one person shares with one other person about God, then there are now two people who know about Him. If those two people each share with two more people, then there are now six people who know. This was Jesus’ strategy. He started with twelve, and now there 2.5 billion Christians in the world today. We can show just a few people what authentic love and a God-centered life looks like, and it will only spread.
And third, there is Nicodemus and the pharisees. Nicodemus has already been looking into the possibility of this new, unknown miracle man being the Messiah, especially after having seen the personal transformation of Mary of Magdala. He saw how possessed she had become (“Only God can heal her”) and how radically different she was after having encountered this mystery man. But some of Nicodemus’ students and fellow pharisees are having a harder time believing in this possibility, especially since his existence would go against that which their sacred scriptures profess. Specifically, Shmuel justifies himself saying that God cannot take human form and “to say so would be blasphemy.” Nicodemus challenges him by saying that just because those in scripture never saw God in human form, doesn’t mean that God cannot do so because He is God and is capable of anything. The line that struck me the most from this scene was when Nicodemus said, “If God did something that contradicted the Torah, would you tell Him to get back into that box that you have carved for him?” Ooof….how many times have I put God in a box that I have carved? Or better yet, how often have I given God ultimatums, especially in prayer? God, if you make X happen, then I’ll do Y. God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (all-present). God doesn’t need me, but I sure as heck need Him. I must constantly remind myself of these characteristics of God and fully trust that He is capable of doing that which is beyond my own understanding or imagination. After all, “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
THE HEALER
In this episode, we get to see Jesus in action, as he has two encounters with those who need healing. First, Jesus and his crew encounter a leper on their journey. At that time, lepers were seen as outcasts, the lowest of low, as if they were “cursed.” We can see this in the very beginning of the episode through the broker’s reaction after having discovered he was in the midst of a leper (“You couldn’t have just died?”). We also see this in the disciples’ reactions upon seeing the leper approach them (“Don’t breathe his air”). And yet, Jesus doesn’t care! He approaches him, meeting him where he is at (similar to what he did for Simon in Episode 4). The leper’s request is BEAUTIFUL! He begs Jesus not to turn away from him, to which Jesus says he won’t, and then the leper says, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Key phrase here: IF you are willing! So often in prayer, I find myself asking God for things. Lord, heal me from this headache. Lord, help me ace my test. Lord, help me find a parking space. This scene in this episode challenged me to shift my prayer. Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me from this headache. Lord, if you are willing, you can help me ace this test. Lord, if you are willing, you can help me find a parking space. The Lord may not always will something to happen because He might have something better in store for us, but using this phrase 1. recognizes that God has the power and ability to do what we are asking him to do, 2. allows us to trust in God’s power and ability, and 3. challenges us to be willing to accept whatever God wills, even if it isn’t what we initially asked for. God always knows what is best for us, even if we can’t see it yet.
Second, Jesus heals a paralyzed man. James and John return home, bringing Jesus with them. I absolutely loved Salome’s reaction when she sees Jesus for the first time. After just gazing upon him and before even getting to know him, she tells her sons to “listen to him and stay by his side.” It blew my mind how many people were passing them on the street and had NO idea who they were passing. It reminded me about how many people in our current society are going about their normal lives and have NO idea who God is or what he is capable of. There is so much work to be done to spread the news of who God is to others! After having seen what Jesus was capable of by healing the leper, the woman from Ethiopia, named Tamar, and her friends bring one of their friends on a stretcher (because he is paralyzed from the waist down) to where Jesus is teaching. The crowd is too large to get through to where Jesus is, so in a moment of desperation, they decide to lower him down through Zebedee and Salome’s roof. Again, just like in the scene with the leper, Tamar begs Jesus to heal her friend but does so by saying, “If you are willing, Rabbi, I know you can do this!” Jesus tells her that her faith is beautiful. He then tells the paralytic man that his sins are forgiven, which rattles the pharisees, and to rise, pick up his mat, and go, which he does successfully. Just like with all of the other healings so far, the paralytic man collapses into Jesus’ arms for an embrace before he goes on his way, in a complete daze about what had just occurred. Jesus desires to heal us too, but we have to have faith and come to him to ask for healing. We also have to be ready to receive the healing that Jesus wants to give us.
EPISODE SIX REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
~Do you “know” Jesus more in your mind, in your heart, or both? Has it always been that way? If not, what caused the change in how you “know” him?
~What are small ways that you can engage in spiritual multiplication and spread the joy of the Gospel? What prevents you from inviting people to “come and see”?
~Have you ever put God in a box? What are ways that you can remind yourself of and honor God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence?
~How have you experienced healing from God in your own life? What are areas of your life that are in need of healing? How can you invite God into those wounds so that he can transform them?
To watch all eight episodes of season one for free, download The Chosen app on Apple or Android mobile devices.
If you end up loving the show and want to “pay it forward” to help fund season two, you can either make a donation in the app and/or purchase the season one DVD set for yourself or friends/family.
