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Before the first episode of The Chosen, there’s a note worth paying attention to:

 

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 However, all biblical and historical content and artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures. Viewers are encouraged to read the gospels. The original names, locations, and phrases have been transliterated into English for anything spoken.

 

This is a good reminder that the show is not meant to replace Scripture. It’s artistic imagination built around the truth of the Gospels and it is meant to make us dig into our Bibles to learn more.

 

Setting the Scene

The first episode is a little longer, but it sets the stage for Jesus to come. There’s no Jesus until the very end. What you see instead are people with messy lives. You can almost feel the political upheaval.

 

The Jewish world at the time of Jesus’ birth was part of the Roman world. Rome controlled what they called “the known world,” so there was a melting pot of people and cultures. The Jewish people were considered strange by Rome because they didn’t assimilate like other groups.

 

Even within Judaism, there was conflict. There were at least three different sects of Judaism that were at odds with each other. In the Gospels, we mostly see Jesus interacting with the Pharisees, so you’ll notice them a lot in this first episode. The Pharisees believed the Jewish people needed to follow all of the Torah in order for the Messiah to come. The Sanhedrin was the Jewish ruling class and was made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

Words to Know

  • Adonai – One of the names for God in the Old Testament. Means “Lord.”

  • Shabbat – Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, with a special meal that was a big deal.

  • Sanhedrin – The powerful Jewish ruling class.

  • Synagogue – The place where Jews went to learn the Torah.

  • Demons – Seemed very active during the time of Jesus. The Gospels record many cases of possession. We don’t know why, but maybe because they knew the Messiah — the Anointed One — was there.

 

Read Isaiah 43

 

Watch Episode

 

Nicodemus’ Perspective

One of the characters you meet in Episode 1 is Nicodemus, a Pharisee. His perspective is pretty clear: “We need to clean up our act before the Messiah will come.”

That mindset hasn’t gone away. People still think like this today — “I’ll go to church once I get my life together,” or “God could never love me because I’ve messed up too much.”

 

But the whole point of the Gospel is that we can’t fix ourselves. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to get it together. He steps into the middle of our brokenness.

 

Religion vs. Relationship

The Pharisees were all about following the rules perfectly. And honestly, it makes sense why people get drawn to that. Rules give you a sense of control, safety, accomplishment. But Jesus didn’t come to hand us another checklist. He came to bring relationship and transformation.

 

Bringing It Home

So if Jesus comes for messy people — what does that mean for us right now?

It means He comes for people like Mary Magdalene, who felt too far gone.It means He comes for Matthew, who didn’t fit in anywhere.It means He comes for Nicodemus, who thought rule-keeping was the answer.And it means He comes for us, in the middle of whatever mess we’re carrying.

 

The wrap-up of Episode 1 is simple but powerful: Jesus comes for messy people.

Just like in Isaiah 43, where God promises, “I have called you by name, you are mine.”

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