John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John 1:23
(Jonathan Roumie and David Amito (back to camera) as Jesus and John the Baptist in Episode 5 of season two. Image: “The Chosen”/Instagram)
Have you watched it yet?
Episode 5, Season 2 of The Chosen…?
In this latest episode we meet the cousin of Jesus, John the Baptizer.
Plus our beloved Mary the Magdalene is seen to suffer a bit of
a set back when she encounters a demonic possessed man.
Now you know I’m loving the Chosen.
It’s like Dawn Marie noted in a comment the other day regarding my most recent
post about this wonderful crowd funded series—-each character we meet during
each episode offers a glimpse into each of us…
The quirks, the negatives, the setbacks, the brokenness speaks to each of us.
That’s in part why I enjoy the series so much…the back stories…
And yes, the creative license into the back stories of each of our favorite
Biblical characters is perhaps a bit far reaching,
however it allows us to feel a deep sense of connectivity.
They become real…real like you and me…and who’s to say that that real
is not really real??
Plausible, fictitious, real or false….we simply don’t know.
They had lives..they had personalities…the had faults…that had
something that drew Jesus to each one of them…
We have each suffered, we are all broken…
and yet He can and will still call on us.
But…in this particular episode, we meet the cousin of Jesus…
John the Baptist.
That seemingly wild man who lived in the desert, eating locust and honey while
wearing a camel hair and a leather belt.
He preached to the animals as well as to all who had ears to hear.
He spoke of One who was to come after him…
Yet the Chosen offered us a bit of a different take on John.
And to be honest, I don’t know if I liked this particular depiction.
As wild as John is depicted in the Bible, I always thought him to be
focused…focused on a higher spiritual plane…
not necessarily political, despite his focus on Herod Antipas.
The Chosen, however, seemed to portray him as more zealot…
and whereas a zealot is one who is fanatical…which John was…
I felt that this portrayal of John was more of an egoistical political
rabble rouser…and not one who was immersed in the Spiritual.
That of one on a different plane than the average human.
He joked a bit more than I felt the true John would have with his
cousin, the Son of God. He pushed his cousin…he pushed him to
get on with his “mission”, all of which I don’t see the real
John having done.
An impatient John?
No…I have always seen John as a polestar.
Not impatient but rather one who was content with pointing the way.
Meanwhile, we are now worried…. we are worried about what Mary is
up to.
What did meeting another demon possessed soul do to her healing…
her transformation?
As Believers, we all know that backsliding is real.
It can be a constant battle.
Satan knows our weakness.
He knows our achilles heel..and he plays on it masterfully…
yet in the end Jesus and our healing will prevail
So…what say you??
What do you think?
I baptize you with water for repentance,
but after me will come One more powerful than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matthew 3:11
cookiecrumbstoliveby 
I have not been watching the series. Kathy said it was available on some streaming service, but I cannot remember. But I do not think that we can lose our faith by backsliding. But some conversions are not true conversions, and they do not lose their faith in that they never really had faith, just an emotional experience. But the Achilles heal thing? Satan is masterful at that. I struggled while writing my take of the John epistles. If we sin, God is not in us? Most commentaries change that to “living in sin, a sinful lifestyle” but even then, a bad habit that hangs on may not define you, but… Then that is Satan weaving doubt into your mind. It’s the alcoholic that craves the taste, just one more time or the smoker who fiddles with a cigarette just to get the feel of it in their hand. Satan has his ways, but God is stronger.
You can get it in the App Store— I don’t do Facebook but I believe they have a FB page as well as you tube— I’m just not sure how I feel about their portrayal of John— they have Matthew being autistic or perhaps with Asbergers which is interesting
https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen/watch
You can watch on the website too, in-case like me you don’t have one of those mini computers.
Not doing TV I haven’t seen the series but…I hope it has the same effect on our world as the movie JESUS did years ago.
It’s in the app— I watch it on my phone 🤣
I guess I’ve spent most of my time listening to my favorite old music lately and haven’t been watching TV except for some of the old shows like Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Father Knows Best, etc. This looks like something I would like to see though. Too many channels on my cable, so what station is it on? I’m not sure station is the correct word, but channels are always regional, so can’t think what other word to use. It does look interesting though.
It’s an app Angie you can get in a phone or tablet!
You would like it!!
Thanks Julie. I have the link now and can watch it on my Fire Stick TV. That was a great investment.
Yay!!!
Jump over to the website and watch for free. https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen/watch
Then when you’ve caught up, you can slide over to the “gift” shop and pick up a t-shirt, dvd set of season 1, or something to help pay for the next season. (We have the novelization of season 1 and the music cd on order)
Thank you so much.
I felt the same way you did about John, the Baptist. However, since he and Jesus were cousins, I wouldn’t discount their casual banter. They probably grew up together and spent some time together. I felt more uncomfortable with Mary’s slide backwards. Yet I realize there’s an important message there for all of us who daily slide in our walk and take the wrong path. The hope is in the fact that Jesus will welcome us back even when we slip up. I can’t imagine being possessed, but I’m sure it continued to be a battle, like any other addiction.
I think there’s more to Mary’s story… I think she’s going back to collect on money owed and I think she will persevere over the darkness
I’m sure she will. The devil does have great power even over the saved
I love The Chosen series, too (which you can probably tell from my blog!) I actually liked their depiction of John the Baptist, kind of crazy but also a bit over the top zealous. I loved when he got all excited, like a kid, about finally seeing a miracle. It’s definitely is artistic license, just like how they depict Matthew as autistic. But we have no way of knowing what he was really like, other than what he said in Scripture. It’s plausable to be both dedicated and serious, yet have fun with his cousin on a personal level. The depiction certainly makes him more endearing to the viewer. But he’s also shown to be quite human in Scripture, like us, like when he entertained doubts about Jesus being in Messiah after being thrown in prison. Most Jews believed the Messiah would conquer the Roman Empire and set up Jerusalem as the center of the world. They didn’t expect the Jesus they got. John the Baptist wasn’t omniscient, so this could’ve been quite a blow to his understanding. He needed reassurance, like we often do.
True Mel— and I did laugh out loud when Jesus cast the demon out and John instinctively raised his fistic the air with a resounding Yeah!! Like a kid—
And I do like the depiction of Matthew— we are all flawed, we all have limitations and yet He still sought them!!!
Of those “chosen” that they have shown so far, my favorite is Matthew with Mary Magdalene a close second. I pegged his as being Aspie by his second appearance. My sister Shay is loving Simon Peter.
I love both Matthew and Simon Peter 🥰
I haven’t watched Chosen. I’m sure I would enjoy it because I love Biblical fiction stories. Everyone I know speaks highly of it. You have offered a persuasive critique which piques my interest but I only watch what Sammy watches.
I only watch it when I can find time on my phone—Gregroy has not seen it since it’s not on TV and he isn’t much of a fan of things I find 😎
We are about to start season 2 tonight and I can’t wait!
Ooooo, you’ll love it!
Okay, first I absolutely must say…What was up with John’ beard???? 🤣🤣🤣 It had to be one of the worst fake beards I have ever seen and was so awkward to look at and definitely distracting during his scenes.🤣🤣🤣 But seriously, I enjoyed the casualness of this depiction of John because I still felt his passion for the Lord and love for his cousin, the Messiah. I really enjoyed the tenderness between the two of them alone reflecting on how “this is it…the time is indeed upon us.” A twinge of trepidation in their eyes but calm conviction – very well done by both actors, I felt. Also, the depiction of John’s character is definitely committed to the truth – as is nicely shown when he marches off to instruct the wrong-doings of Herod – which I really appreciated. Lastly, as Mel mentioned earlier John’s celebratory exclamation upon the healing of the demonic was epic! Who couldn’t relate to that!🤣
I think we may all be “challenged” in the next episode or two with the depiction of Mary Magdeline. My best guess will be a rendition of St. Paul from Romans 7:15 (For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.😬) I’ll continue to stay tuned to viewing this wonderful series because in the end I do believe it is all for GOOD. Just look at what we’re talking about right now….I have to believe this series is promoting a LOT of dialogue – the kind we can use more of in our current climate! Hugs Julie for promoting us to weigh-in!
I do agree— — they’ve got us talking— now that you mention it, the beard was a bit awkward—
I just found him a bit sillier than I’d imagine —his zeal even seemed laced with ego— but that just goes to preconceived notions—
Now Mary, well perhaps a bit of the dark night but I feel confident in her resolve— I think I recall the end of her tale as we now it 😉🥰
Amen! It’s the end of the story that is truly the heart of the matter. 💗