Today I'd like to introduce you to a great show I've come across: The Chosen distributed by VidAngel Studios. This is a multi-season depiction of the life of Christ. One season has been completed, and the second season is set to launch this Sunday (Easter). In all there will be seven seasons -- with the last two covering the death and resurrection of Christ.
Season 1 starts (I believe) shortly after Jesus' 40-day fasting period and covers the very first miracles and the beginnings of the gathering of the twelve apostles. Along the way, we learn much about the apostles before they are chosen and other characters. Simon (who later becomes Peter) is a fisherman struggling to pay off debts. Matthew is a publican working with the Romans to try to make sure the Jews are all paying their taxes. Nicodemus is a high-ranking Pharisee who decides to investigate the wonders of a man named Jesus. Gaius is a Roman soldier who works closely with Matthew as he tries to work up the promotion chain. Quintus is his superior, who desires to quell the uprising of Jesus.
The result is a rich cast, and a strong plot, with excellent acting and many good moments.
You may notice with some other scripture videos, such as what my church produces, that they are very careful to stick to scripture. When Jesus speaks in these other videos, or if someone speaks to him, 95% of the time, they're uttering words straight out of the Bible, which can be both good and bad. Good -- you don't get anything wrong. Bad -- if you read the same Bible I do, the dialogue doesn't really flow naturally. We clearly get only bits and pieces from the four Gospels. So, as Jesus speaks, he often utters words that don't feel so natural -- as if we had missed something -- perhaps Jesus had said something else in the middle not recorded in scripture, or someone else had asked a question not recorded, which would lead much more naturally to Jesus' utterances. This is fine when we read, but I don't think it always translates well to video, and can even end up looking a little corny.
However, with The Chosen, the writers fill in the blanks. Thus we get believable naturally flowing dialogue. This sometimes comes at the price of doctrinal correctness. Sometimes Jesus says something that made me think, "wait a minute -- that's not quite right." But you know what? I'll take "naturally flowing" over 100% doctrinal correctness any day. Because I can relate much better.
Also, consider this. In the scriptures, Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus is but a passing meeting -- if you read too fast you may even miss it. But because the writers fleshed out the whole backstory of Nicodemus, the conversation ends up being much more ... personal. And I believe I may have felt the Spirit in several of the scenes of this show more than I have in watching many of my own church's scripture videos.
I should also mention that VidAngel is run by members of my church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), but the show itself is 100% produced, created, and written by people from outside of this church. It is also highly vetted by biblical scholars and experts.
I highly recommend catching this show. If you love Jesus, or are looking for a good introduction into who Jesus is, I believe you would enjoy this show. So, give it a try. Look it up.
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