WWUTT 1860 Q&A Christian Liberty, Watching Movies, and The Chosen Review Part 2

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00:01

Watching movies of Bible stories, isn't this just a Christian liberty issue? Are there good movies that Christians can watch?

00:09

And what is the danger with the chosen anyway? The answers to these questions, when we understand the text.

00:24

This is When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the Word. Listen in for Bible study

00:31

Monday to Thursday, and then our Q &A on Friday. Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.

00:36

Thank you, Becky. You're welcome. Alright, we've been holding on to this. Yes. Because I've been waiting to get you back on the program.

00:44

Yes. So that we can do this together. Yes. It has been a while since we've eaten something on the podcast.

00:52

You're welcome. So, in our Christmas episode, it was mentioned that Becky had never had a fruitcake before.

00:59

Right. And it's been a long time since I had one. At least, not that I can remember. Yeah. It's been a while since I had a fruitcake, but my favorite growing up was my mom's fruitcake cookies.

01:10

Yeah. It wasn't like most common fruitcake. Sure. I mentioned there was a local fruitcake that was pretty expensive.

01:17

But I didn't mention the name. Right. However, somebody local knew exactly what fruitcake I was talking about.

01:24

So, they bought one for us. I know. It's super sweet. It very might well be super sweet.

01:31

We'll find out about the cake. Okay. It is so sweet of them. So, live, on air, live, this is recorded, in front of a live studio audience.

01:42

No. Yeah. Not that either. Becky wouldn't do this. She would not do this with me. No. If it was either in front of an audience or if we were doing video.

01:50

Because people have asked us, can you do video with a podcast? No. I would never get Becky back on here if I did that. I just clam up.

01:57

I can't get anything to come out of my mouth. It all swirls around in my head. I would prefer not to be on video also.

02:04

Yeah. Which is why. Well, you hate editing. What videos are just. Yeah, that's. You hate editing videos. Yeah. Especially.

02:10

I mean, not like your YouTube videos. That's different. But like your video where you're talking into the phone or the camera or whatever.

02:18

Well, yeah. Because I don't like. You hate it. I don't like doing the choppy stuff. Yeah. That some of these guys do on YouTube. Yeah.

02:24

Where it'll just be, you know, half a sentence cut, half a sentence, you know, all the way through. I hate that. I want to get it right in one take.

02:31

Yep. And so. And that's tough. It's hard. And it makes me have to do it over and over and over again. And I'm not real crazy about it anyway when

02:38

I face everywhere. Yeah. Then I have to look at myself 10 years ago and I'm like, what happened to me since then?

02:46

So anyway, here we go. We're with the fruitcake. Yes. I have opened up this tin.

02:51

It was in this beautiful tin. I love it. So we can certainly keep the tin. And I have to cut through like two inches of pecan.

03:01

That's fine. I like pecans. I do too. And so here we go. So I've got a piece here and this one is for you.

03:08

You can just take a piece off of that. Okay. So here we go. Becky's first ever fruitcake that we're eating right here.

03:16

We got our bottles of water because this is gooey. It is. So we're probably going to have to wash this down.

03:22

All right. You ready? I am. You got some? Ready. Okay. Here we go. This is the super expensive local fruitcake.

03:29

Becky's first time to ever have it. Here we go. Oh, my bite had way too much pecan in it.

03:36

Mine was very pecan -y as well. But it's really good. I didn't get as much of the cake substance.

03:42

Oh, I got a perfect. That's pretty good. I've got a good blend of everything.

03:48

This is definitely not the kind of fruitcake that makes you go, ugh.

03:54

Oh, no. It's not. Holiday fruitcake. It's really, really good. Yeah, no. This is good. This is a great fruitcake.

03:59

It's nice and sweet. Yeah. Good texture to it. It definitely reminds me of Christmas.

04:06

Like the Christmas candy that's always out, you know? Yeah. So they baked Christmas right into it.

04:11

They did. It's awesome. This is like I would eat this while we watched

04:17

The Nutcracker. Sure. No pun intended. Right. You know, living in different parts of the country has me very conscientious about how

04:25

I say pecan. Pecan. Every time I say it, I'm like, did I do that right? It depends on who you're around.

04:33

Must be. Pe -can, pee -can, and pee -con. Is that the three ways?

04:41

Can we get it on? At least that I've heard of. I'm going to make up a new one. Peckin'. Peckin'.

04:49

Got through that layer of peckin' to get down to the cake. That's what chickens do. No, it's not pecking.

05:00

It's peckin'. You have to have the right amount of E and a whole lot less of A. Anyway, I'm trying to put some art form into it.

05:09

Yeah. Okay, well, this is the Friday edition of the broadcast where we take questions from the listeners, and you can send those questions to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

05:19

Last week, I started doing a review of The Chosen, and I went through the first four episodes of Season 1.

05:27

This week, I'm going to cover the next four. So this is Episodes 5 through 8 of Season 1 of The Chosen.

05:33

They're just now finishing up Season 3. As a matter of fact, they're going to put the season finale in theaters.

05:40

Oh, wow. They have that good of a turnout? This is the largest crowdfunded show ever.

05:48

Oh, wow. I didn't know that. And yeah, they had enough of a turnout for the beginning of Season 3 because the first two episodes they showed in theaters.

05:59

Oh, okay. So apparently they had a good enough showing that they're going to put the last episode, the finale of the season, they're going to put that in theaters.

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Now, I've been very critical of this show. I did a video that was critical of the show. I had been mostly watching clips on YouTube until I took on this task of, okay,

06:18

I'm going to watch it from beginning to end. Let's start on Episode 1, and we'll just go through it. As I said last week,

06:24

Episode 1. Season 1, Episode 1. Season 1, Episode 1, yes. Okay, just checking. I'm not up to Season 2 yet. As I said last week, the very first episode was really bad.

06:35

I'm not even talking theologically. It just was a really boring episode. I had a hard time.

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Even optimistically, I had already written down on my page, like as I'm sitting there taking notes, watching this show,

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I had on my page what I liked and what I didn't like. And already

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I'm looking at this going, man, I've got to find something I liked in this episode. I've already committed myself to something that I feel like I've got to find something good to say about this.

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There was another episode in this block as well. It was Episode 7. I had a really hard time finding something good to actually say about that episode.

07:12

There are theological problems, yes, but that aside, it's just not that well written.

07:18

Not entertaining. Yeah. And I think that one of the reasons why people love it so much, even though it's not that well written, is because it's a

07:27

Jesus story. Yeah. And so you have certain people that either, if they're not believers, they'll watch it and they'll feel some sort of ascension about it.

07:37

You know? Right. This connects me with the Almighty. Right. So I'm not going to, I don't want to say anything to bash it.

07:43

Whereas Christians who are watching it are just easily entertained. I don't know what else to say about that.

07:50

You know, you look at the pantheon of Christian entertainment that's out there, and it's not typically well written, well made stuff.

07:57

No. This is not too much different than the Bible miniseries that was on the History Channel a decade ago.

08:03

Yeah. So it's like every decade one of these things comes along, and it's just as poorly made as the one before it.

08:10

Now, I got a question I'm going to respond to here, and then I'm going to tell you what we're going to do first before we get to this episode review. But this is from Rand.

08:17

And he says, Pastor Gabe, regarding your watching and reviewing The Chosen, I have two questions.

08:22

First, I believe you acknowledge that this is a Christian liberty issue. I did say that at the end of the episode last week.

08:28

Okay. Whether or not a person chooses to watch, then can you clarify exactly what is the danger with this show if they're trying to be faithful to the biblical text?

08:40

Secondly, you said that you're not opposed to depictions of Bible stories in film.

08:46

As an example, can you name a Bible story set to film or television that you enjoy?

08:52

Thanks in advance for your reply. To answer the second question first.

08:58

Okay. No, I'm not going to tell you the name of a movie or a TV show made from the

09:04

Bible that I enjoyed. Okay. And the reason why, it's the same reason that I give as to why

09:10

I don't do movie reviews. It's because you didn't like any of them. I'm just kidding.

09:15

Pretty much, yeah. I don't like anything. I mean, pretty close, but. Yeah. It's the same reason why

09:21

I don't give any endorsements to this kind of thing. Entertainment is just so subjective. Yeah.

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And it's such a liberty matter that I don't want to recommend anything that could potentially cause you to stumble.

09:35

Right. I don't know what you in your conscience can handle, what you can watch.

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And as I've said before, there are certainly things we should have nothing to do with. Right. If a show or a movie has sexual content in it, flee from it.

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Don't have anything to do with it. Know what's in your movies before you watch them. I'm not one of those purists that's like, don't spoil the ending.

09:58

No. Tell me what's in it so I don't see something stupid. And I'm not wasting my time or even putting something sinful in front of my eyes.

10:05

You can find out pretty readily, without spoiling the ending, what kind of content is in the movies or the

10:12

TV shows that you're about to watch. Right. But you can't unsee what you saw. That's right.

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You've got to be careful. Be careful little eyes what you see. Yes. As we sing to kids.

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We've got to practice that as well. And we've got to understand, these are sins for which

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Christ died. Don't be entertained by that stuff. Yeah. So again, there's some things that are just so subjective, and it's such a matter of liberty, and I don't know what's going to make your conscience guilty that I don't want to make those endorsements of films, even

10:46

Bible stories that are set to film, because I've never seen a Bible story set to film that actually got it right.

10:54

Yeah. They always take creative liberties with something. Right. Nothing is ever going to be better than the way that we have the story written down for us in the

11:03

Bible. No, nothing's even going to compare to it or be equal to this. The Jesus film, which is, if I remember right, it's the movie that has been translated into the most number of languages worldwide.

11:15

Okay. I watched it years ago. I think I was in my 20s. It was well over two decades ago.

11:22

But I remember watching it, and I mean, I'm picking apart things in that movie that was like, that wasn't in the

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Bible that way. Yeah. I remember Jesus hanging on the cross, and he didn't have a crown of thorns on in the Jesus movie.

11:34

Oh, weird. Yeah. He doesn't have a crown of thorns in the Jesus film. So even that movie doesn't capture it.

11:42

And it's the one that they say is like the most accurate. It's been translated in the most number of languages, and it gets used to share the gospel in different parts of the world.

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But even that film doesn't get it all right. Yeah. So there's always going to be some

11:54

Christian liberties. Christian liberties. Creative liberties. Some of them might be

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Christian liberties, but there are creative liberties that are taken with these things.

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And I don't want to put that in front of people and think, here, just watch this, and it'll give you the idea of the

12:11

Bible story. Yeah. You should always go to the Bible story. So yes, there are movies that I enjoy.

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There are things I like watching with my kids. But as far as my ministry goes, and this is a personal conviction.

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This is something that I've taken on as a pastor. As far as my ministry goes, I just don't want to put something in front of you that could cause you to stumble.

12:32

So what's the first question? So that was the second question. You're right. First question, he says,

12:38

I believe you acknowledge that this is a Christian liberty issue whether or not a person chooses to watch The Chosen.

12:44

Then can you clarify exactly what is the danger with this show if they're trying to be faithful to the biblical text?

12:51

Well, first of all, they're not trying to be faithful to the biblical text. They're close, you know?

12:57

Yeah. A lot of it I'm watching going, okay, didn't happen that way, but fine. It's not false teaching.

13:04

There are other things that are. They're taking liberties. They're trying to communicate something. Even if something that I'm watching doesn't have false teaching in it, it's just a matter of time.

13:14

Yeah. Because you can tell by the way they're making the show that they're not faithful to the biblical text. So once they get to big issues,

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I know that they're going to convey them wrong. Yeah. They're going to try to incorporate their own little commentary into it, their own spin on it, and it's not going to be the way that we understand that passage.

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And there may be something, maybe a big issue coming up, although I haven't gotten to it yet, but there may be something big on the horizon that's just going to make you go, no, definitely not what

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Jesus said or anybody around him. So first of all, not faithful to the biblical text, but the first part where you said, what is the danger with this show?

13:56

It is being used as a means to share

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Jesus with people. The people who created this show, they've got the app, they've got it on YouTube, it's on Amazon Prime.

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I don't have Netflix, but it might be on Netflix, too. I don't know how many streaming services are out there that The Chosen is on, but the creators of this show actually do think that they are sharing

14:23

Christ with this show. Dallas Jenkins in interviews has talked about how they're changing lives with the show.

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They think they're evangelizing. The gospel is not in any of this outreach stuff that they're doing.

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Now, I want to be careful about saying the gospel is not in this show. I don't think it is, to tell you the truth, because I don't think the people conveying it actually know what the gospel is.

14:48

But in one of the episodes we're going to be reviewing is Episode 7 of Season 1 where Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus.

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And, of course, Jesus repeats John 3 .16. What we come to know is John 3 .16. God loved the world in this way that he sent his only son, and whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

15:06

That's kind of the way that Jesus says it in that particular episode. Okay. So that's the gospel.

15:12

I mean, we understand that. It's the summary of the gospel. So there is the gospel there, but the way that they package it, they're not exhorting anybody.

15:22

They're not telling anyone, turn from your sin and follow Christ. Yeah. There's nothing like that.

15:27

And that's part of the gospel. Yeah. Even when Jesus talks to his disciples about being the

15:33

Savior, I can't remember quite how he says it, but I remember he says,

15:39

I came to tell people about salvation. Okay. And it's like, okay, but there's no sin and need for repentance.

15:48

That is just not talked about. And, again, those words will come in there. So I say that, and the creators, if they were sitting here, they would come back and go,

15:56

I don't think you're paying attention because those words are in there. Right. Like when Jesus is talking with his disciples, using the words like we find in Luke 13, and he says, how about when the

16:07

Tower of Siloam fell and killed those 18 people? Do you think that they were worse than anyone else in Jerusalem?

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I tell you, unless you repent, you will also perish. You know, those words are in there, but it's just like, it's the package that they deliver it in.

16:23

It's not the same as if you were reading Luke 13. You know what I mean?

16:29

So they kind of separate it out rather than combining it all together as being the gospel?

16:34

It's hard to describe. When I play the clip with Jesus and Nicodemus, maybe you'll get kind of a feel of what

16:39

I'm talking about when I get to that. Obviously, I have not been watching with him.

16:45

No, yeah. Becky has not. I'm a little on the clueless side. Although she's had to hear me rant about it.

16:51

Yes. She's been involved in that way. Yes. So here's how

16:57

I want to start. And this, with the question that Ran just asked, what is the danger with this show?

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Listen to the way that they package this show. Here's what I want to present to you. This is the testimony of Jonathan Rumi.

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Jonathan plays Jesus in The Chosen. Okay. Now, he does not look 30.

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That's how old he would be in this time frame that they're covering in this show.

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They'll throw dates up every once in a while so you know where they're at in the timeline. Jesus would be 30 years old at this time.

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And I, from the very first episode, I'm looking at him going, this man's not 30. Yeah. I looked him up. He's 48.

17:40

Oh, wow. At the time he was filming the show, it would have been about 42, 43 years old. Because you're talking the first season would have been 2017.

17:47

Oh, yeah, sure. So he looks too old for the part, for one. And I'm noticing that from the very beginning.

17:55

When I was watching clips on YouTube, I noticed that. He's been out in the sun. Anyway, so he shares his testimony here.

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And this is a documentary film that is put together by The Chosen. This came out sometime last year.

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Dallas Jenkins, who made this, he introduced it at the beginning. He and one of the actors are sitting down and talking.

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I actually skipped all that part. I kind of moved on from there. But what they're doing is they're filming people watching

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The Chosen and getting their reactions. So this is kind of a reaction video. And it was made to try to draw more people in to be interested in The Chosen.

18:34

This video on YouTube has been seen a million times. On their app, I'm sure it's been seen millions and millions of more times.

18:41

Wow. Because that's what they want to draw people to. They want you to download and watch the app. Right. Because that's where they're going to make their pitch to give them money.

18:49

You know, being the biggest crowdfunded show there is out there. Yeah. So anyway, after they watch all of first season,

18:58

Jonathan Rumi comes in and sits down with him and he shares his testimony. Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the show, he believes what

19:06

Jonathan Rumi is doing is sharing the gospel. They think they're sharing the gospel with this stuff.

19:11

Okay. They think they're changing lives. So I'll probably interrupt as I play this here. Here's Jonathan Rumi's testimony.

19:19

And then you're going to hear testimonies from the people who are watching that are going to come right after that.

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Okay. Some other voices that will break in. The first one is Jonathan's. Okay. I figured

19:30

I'd just tell you a little bit about me and my journey and how I got here. All right.

19:35

I just want to go ahead and break in already. Oh, I promise. That's Jonathan Rumi. Okay. It doesn't sound like Jesus from The Chosen because he uses a different voice in the show.

19:46

Okay. I know it doesn't sound like him, but I promise. That's Jonathan Rumi. Okay. This is who you're listening to. When I moved out to Los Angeles, it was essentially to take acting full time.

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And so I now no longer had a support system for my income.

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The bills kept coming and the breaks didn't. It was actually my checking account was overdraft like $100 and I had $20 in my pocket.

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The only thing I could think to do in that moment was to get on my knees and pray.

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I was silenced. There was nothing. So, you know what? I'm going to use your words from the

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Bible. The words that you said, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, burdened.

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And I shall give you rest for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So you know what,

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Jesus? Take some of mine. I'm out, man. I surrender.

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And I opened my mailbox and in the mailbox were four checks that covered all my bills that were coming due.

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At that point, I realized that the moment I surrendered and let go of what

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I thought my life and my career should look like and give it to God.

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He's like, now you're ready for me to do what I'm going to do with you. Three months later, Dallas Jenkins called me and said, you want to do this series?

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I said, I think so. So they just magically appeared in his mailbox?

21:37

It sounds like prosperity gospel to me. And then if he didn't surrender his life, they wouldn't be there? If you surrender your life, you'll get all your bills paid for.

21:44

That's what that sounds like. No gospel in that at all. No. That's disturbing.

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You have the nice little mood music. Oh, I rolled my eyes at that. That's so hard. Oh, my goodness.

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You hear them trying to sell it. They're like, oh, can't you just hear God moving? Can't you just hear it?

22:05

Oh, I forgot to mention that Jonathan Rumi's Catholic. So he was,

22:10

I'm sure I've mentioned that before, but he was baptized Greek Orthodox. And then he made the conversion to Roman Catholicism.

22:20

Okay. I mean, already you're talking about him being in a heterodox faith. What's humorous about this?

22:28

He's not broken. He's not. No. He's just like, I'm in a tough spot. I can't make my career happen.

22:34

So here, Jesus, make my career happen. Yeah, I just, I don't feel like that's anyway.

22:41

Now, the ironic thing about this, I had mentioned last week that before Dallas Jenkins made this series called

22:48

The Chosen, he had made a Christian film that bombed that was called The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.

22:54

There's a scene toward the end where Gavin, who is playing Jesus in a church play.

23:00

He's an actor in the show, in the movie. Okay. But he's playing Jesus in a church play.

23:06

And while he's hanging on the cross is when he has his conversion experience. Okay. And prays to God as Jesus hanging on the cross in front of an audience, even.

23:15

The audience doesn't hear what he's saying, but he's just kind of like praying these things to God as he's acting this part out.

23:22

Sure. And the things that he says in his conversion experience sounded a lot like that.

23:28

Oh. And I really, when I heard Jonathan Rumi do that, I was like, wow, that almost sounded like the way

23:34

Gavin Stone had his conversion in that movie that Dallas Jenkins made.

23:40

They sounded really close. Wow. And remember, I said, I've had a conversation with Dallas Jenkins and he could not tell me what the gospel was.

23:48

He thought the gospel was in his movie. And he thinks the gospel is in this testimony that Jonathan Rumi is sharing right here.

23:57

Now, he's going to continue talking and you're going to hear some other people chime in and interact with him. And then there's also going to be some interview segments.

24:04

Okay. With those persons. So let's continue on. For me, seeing people profoundly and deeply impacted and in many ways healed, to me, it's like, okay, man, this is where I'm at.

24:16

This is what I'm supposed to do. So that's a little bit about me. I imagine you guys must have some questions.

24:23

For such a long time, religion and Jesus was something that was used to make me hate myself or to harm me.

24:31

So I really appreciated how kind you portrayed Jesus. It's gotten me, too.

24:38

Because you can't get that Jesus is kind from the Bible. I missed what they said.

24:44

I was too distracted by the I had no idea what she said.

24:50

By the way, that music is in the show. It's all the way throughout the show. Oh, they're using music from the show.

24:57

Kind of under underscoring this. Okay. Five volumes.

25:03

Because I got nothing. That was so distracting. The music isn't working for me in the show, either.

25:09

No. Yeah. The whole the whole soundtrack is, you know, it'll be something like that.

25:14

There'll be some sort of moment that will happen. And that woman's voice comes in. What is that?

25:21

Okay. So can you tell me? Because I really did. So she's she's saying to Jonathan Rumi, I appreciated how you portrayed

25:32

Jesus because you showed him as kind. Okay. And so my response is he's kind.

25:39

Right. How do you not get that? He's kind. Exactly. Okay. Now, he's also really harsh.

25:46

He is. You don't get that from the show, at least all the way through the first season. There's not been anything in there.

25:52

That's like, you know, Jesus will rebuke you, too. It's all just been obviously very sweet.

25:58

He doesn't even have that in his testimony. Right. So. So we've got this other guy that started talking here.

26:05

So we kind of continue with his response. Sorry. To seek Christ at an even deeper level.

26:13

Being able to accept people at their lowest and when they've done things that that seem unforgivable, like those are the things that I think, regardless of your faith, can really help people.

26:23

I thought it was like a well -made show. You did. You did good. I like I really feel like it restored.

26:32

I believe that God is good. I found a deep relationship. Sorry. Okay.

26:40

With the Lord. I never had before. And I was I think it's silly because it's like, oh, a TV show did that.

26:45

Right. But it gave me the nudge. Now, I said on Twitter and this made quite a few people mad that I said this.

26:52

I said, the reason why the chosen is so popular is because Scripture is not sufficient for so many people.

26:59

And that girl's response right there completely exemplifies that. Yeah. The Bible wasn't enough for her to know

27:07

God and know Christ. She had to see it in the show. And then suddenly, suddenly,

27:12

I'm making a connection with it like I've never made before. Well, I mean, it depends to be fair.

27:20

I mean, let's let's just like boil it down to that. She has a terrible translation of the

27:27

Bible and can't understand it and doesn't know to go to the pastor.

27:32

Terrible teachers. Sure. Talk about it. Sure. I had a translation that I couldn't understand. I'm like, why doesn't it say they went on a walk?

27:39

Yeah. Like, I just don't get it. Yeah. I remember that in your testimony. So, yeah, it's so I mean,

27:46

I can kind of understand, I guess. But at the same time, that's very scary that she would rely on a

27:54

TV show. Luke 9, starting in verse 23. If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

28:09

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it.

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For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

28:25

For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the father and of the holy angels.

28:38

And I'm getting the impression by the people that are in this show that they're ashamed of the

28:45

Christ of the Bible and of his words. That's really, really concerning.

28:51

It is. But the word of Christ is not being conveyed. And you can tell by these viewer testimonies that what they're getting out of watching

28:59

The Chosen is not the Bible. Nor are the creators of this show trying to give anyone the

29:06

Bible. You'll hear in interviews, and as I said last week, Dallas Jenkins is a showman.

29:13

He's a pragmatist. He's going to say whatever he needs to say to whatever audience. If a bunch of Christians who love

29:20

God's word come to him and say, Dallas, you're not being faithful to the scriptures, he's going to give you the answer that will leave you walking away from that conversation going, okay,

29:29

I changed my mind. It does sound like he's really committed to teaching what the Bible says. But when you're watching this, it's evident they don't even know what the gospel is.

29:40

So continuing on with some of these viewer testimonies. Growing up,

29:47

I didn't really have much faith. I did a lot of research on Buddhism, Egyptian culture.

29:55

So I ended up choosing to believe in many gods. I refuse to believe that there's just one higher power out there.

30:04

I like to believe that everybody deserves a chance to believe in anything that they want to.

30:11

That being said, you know, it took a while, and I'm constantly saying, you know,

30:17

God is good. You know, God bless. Blessings. Then why don't you, can I ask you a question?

30:23

Why don't you say the gods are good? I'm back and forth with it. Back and forth, meaning the phrase or the idea of one versus many?

30:40

I would say back and forth with one versus many, if I am to be honest.

30:51

And, you know, watching The Chosen helped me, you know, open up a little bit more and get a better understanding of who

31:01

Jesus was. God is calling you. There's that music coming in again.

31:08

It's like, hey, we got him. Yeah. We got him from thinking about there being many gods to just one

31:15

God. Yes. Yeah. He's still lost.

31:20

He is. He still does not know that he is a sinner in need of a Savior. And Christ is that Savior.

31:27

And only by faith in Christ is he forgiven his sins. So Jonathan was saying, you know,

31:36

God is calling you. Is that the end of his sentence? No. Yeah. Let's continue on with that. Okay.

31:41

Because I'm like, God is calling you and saying what? You know, like, come on. There's a really long pause here, but this is still kind of, you know,

31:48

Jonathan thinks he's sharing the gospel with this guy. You got that mood music that comes in. Here's your opportunity.

31:54

Yeah. Give him the gospel. Just say it. Right. Here's what he says. I take it it's not.

32:01

Yeah. He wants to know you on a deeper level. And so that hug that you're feeling.

32:10

That's Christ trying to get to know you. That's what that is. So you've got nothing to lose to explore.

32:21

And as you get closer and closer, you'll know what's true. But I think he's calling you.

32:30

I just felt I should share that with you. Thank you. I'll pray for you. No. That hug you're feeling.

32:39

That's that's Christ wanting to get to know you on a deeper level. If he's feeling something, it might be the conviction of the

32:45

Holy Spirit. Right. And so that's the part where you tell him that you're being convicted over your sin.

32:51

Yeah. Turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. Right. Repent or perish.

32:57

Yes. Turn to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will be made right with God.

33:03

You will have everlasting life with God. Now go and sin no more. Oh, it just.

33:10

Oh, man. Jesus Christ died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sins. Gave his life for those who would believe in him.

33:20

Our sins are atoned for. The ransom is paid. The price that we owe for our sins is paid by Christ on the cross.

33:30

And he gives us his righteousness so that by faith in him, our lives are changed.

33:35

The old is gone. The new has come. We are a new creation in Christ. Yes. So that where we go from here is no longer in the godlessness that we were in before.

33:45

We now walk in the righteousness of Christ. Right. None of that is ever conveyed here.

33:52

None of it is ever said that you're a sinner in need of a savior. And I just, I feel like his voice is,

33:58

I don't know what he's trying to do with his voice. Is he trying to be soothing? I mean, this is, this is the guy who plays

34:05

Jesus. Yeah. They think they're hearing Jesus through this guy. That's why this is so dangerous.

34:13

Yeah. And the creators of the show, everybody behind who puts this app out there, Mormons, Catholics, unbelievers, evangelicals, everybody who's involved in the show.

34:23

They think that's the gospel, but they're just a few different steps to take on your way to hell.

34:31

No one's been transformed by this. They feel like they have. And when Jonathan Rumi says there,

34:36

I'll pray for you. Who are you praying to? Are you going to pray to one of the dead saints for me? You're Catholic.

34:42

You're going to pray to Jude for me. That's not going to, not going to help you. It's not going to help me.

34:49

That's idolatry. You're praying to Mary on my behalf. Who are you praying to when you say you're going to pray for me?

34:56

So continuing on with audience reaction here. The interaction between me and Jonathan definitely felt like Jesus or God or gods was speaking to me through him.

35:10

That's not good. Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. So it's obviously not based off the

35:20

Bible. If he can confuse those. Yeah, right. This guy thinks the gods are talking to me.

35:26

This guy who plays Jesus and they put that in the documentary with this mood music behind it as, as if God is actually doing something here.

35:38

Yeah, I'm cringing. I mean, it's heartbreaking. But at the same time, as we understand from second,

35:47

Timothy, these people have itching ears and they're accumulating for themselves, teachers to suit their own passions.

35:55

They don't really want God. They don't want the Christ of the Bible. They want the

36:01

Jonathan roomy Jesus. Yeah, he makes me feel good. He makes me feel like the gods are talking to me.

36:10

And apparently the creators of this show don't have a problem with him saying that they put it in the documentary.

36:18

As though that was, hey, look what we did here. Look how we touched people. It's all about the feels.

36:24

It's not about the truth. Yes, he plays a character, but he does it in a sense where you can tell that that character is part of him.

36:39

And so to have him acknowledge me for my efforts and he doesn't even know me like that, that was a surreal moment.

36:48

And that's why, you know, I couldn't hold back the tears. I couldn't, I let them flow.

36:54

And it was one of those moments that I will truthfully cherish for the rest of my life.

37:00

Yeah, just all about making people feel something. So he really was feeling like the

37:06

God or the gods was being said through Jonathan, right?

37:12

That that's frightening. Yeah. Just it's astonishing to me.

37:19

It is astonishing to me that the creators of the show actually released this. This is from the people who make the chosen.

37:26

This isn't some offshoot documentary. Yeah, they made this. They put this on their channel and they seem to be perfectly fine with the fact that there's people saying the gods are speaking to me through your character.

37:39

We'll even put some good music. Yeah, right. Yeah. Through your actor. Not even.

37:45

He wasn't even in character because he plays that part. Right. He's got connections.

37:51

We'll even we'll even put some mood music on it and sell it to people. I don't I don't have this is this is damning people.

37:58

So I hope you can see Rand and others who are listening. I hope you understand just how dangerous this is.

38:06

Yeah, I would say my opinion of Jesus has definitely swayed to the positive side.

38:12

Truthfully, I want to say I've it's changed my perspective on the whole situation with Christianity.

38:21

This experience was what I needed right now. This show like really like, like hit me at home.

38:29

It was a good show. Like I enjoyed watching it. A lot of people when I went back home and told them, oh yeah,

38:34

I'm watching the show about Jesus. They were like, Imani, like, are you okay knowing about my background? But I really try to put them onto the show and taking things that Jesus would say from the chosen and kind of applying that to my own life.

38:46

So I'll be in traffic and I want to honk at someone, but I'm like, oh, what would you do? I think the chosen is really created for everyone in mind where, you know,

38:55

I'm young and I relate to it and I'm connecting to it so intensely. And I think it opens up a door.

39:02

Yeah, it's opening a door to something. I mean, but it's not leading you to Christ. It's encouraging that they're thinking about Jesus and and, you know, like how to handle things better morally.

39:13

But which Jesus are they thinking on? The whole thing that she said there about what would Jesus do? I want to honk at somebody, but I think, oh, what would

39:20

Jesus do? That's just moralism. Yeah, you get moralism from any. That's one of the reasons why the what would

39:25

Jesus do movement really wasn't that constructive, right? Because it has to be what would Jesus do based on what he said in the

39:32

Bible, right? And if you don't know what the Bible says, then you don't know what Jesus would do. Exactly. So it's got to be more than that.

39:40

It's got to be more than just asking that question. She's just nicer in traffic. Now, you'd still be going to hell.

39:46

Yeah. You have to put your faith in and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

39:53

Worship God. Die to yourself. Be alive in Christ.

40:00

There are so many other things that have to happen for these people that the show's creators don't really even seem to care about.

40:08

Yeah. So that is 45 minutes of the show thus far.

40:14

Oh. And we didn't even get to the episode review. No, not at all.

40:19

I don't know. You want to keep going? You see how long we can get here? How awake are you? Because folks, as you understand, we do this on Thursday nights.

40:29

And I go to bed early. Yeah. But we got some time. We're a little earlier than we usually are on a

40:34

Thursday night. I'm actually I'm doing okay. I'm cringing and I really want to say I'm tired. We'll see how long other folks can stick with us as well.

40:46

Are we listening to more interviews or are we moving on? No, we're going to move on. Let's move on. I do have one more clip.

40:52

I might wait until the end. We'll see how long we go. Okay. This is about a minute long clip, but it's the reactions of the people after episode eight.

41:01

Okay. So let's go ahead and review through it. And then let's do that. Yeah, we'll get to the end and then I'll play the clip of that. So hang on.

41:07

I got to come back to my questions here. Review of chosen season one. I'm bringing up my own notes.

41:14

Okay, here we go. So I'm picking up with episode five. The wedding gift is the name of it.

41:20

Okay. This is the miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. Now, I got to make a correction on my own notes, because last week

41:29

I mentioned that they were going to play the casting of demons out of Mary as Jesus first miracle.

41:36

But that's not. They make a clarifying statement in this particular episode that the turning water into wine is

41:43

Jesus first public miracle. Check. So they did do that right. Okay. I have to recall my criticism from last week.

41:52

So what did I like about this episode? Well, it begins with Mary frantically searching for Jesus.

41:58

This is the story from Luke three of a 12 -year -old Jesus teaching in the temple. And I liked that exchange between Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

42:07

It was a good setup for the miracle that's going to come later, because Mary is going to say they're out of wine.

42:14

Okay. So it shows the interaction with Mary and Jesus when he's a boy, and that's kind of setting up the interaction between them later.

42:22

Okay. As far as narrative goes, that was a nice touch. I thought they did well with that. So things I liked about the episode.

42:28

There you go. However, in that same scene with Mary finding a 12 -year -old

42:34

Jesus, they find him in the market. They don't find him in the temple. So it's like they cross paths halfway difference.

42:44

That is a big difference. So in Luke two, 41 to 52, what it records there is that Jesus is teaching in the temple.

42:52

Mary and Joseph find him there, and they're astonished at his teaching. But you don't see that in the show.

42:58

Now, granted, it could be that they did not have a temple location, so they had to work with it.

43:06

This is the first season. They didn't have the big budget yet. Maybe they were just working with what they had, but it's still unfortunate that you don't get

43:15

Jesus teaching. The teachers astonished with him. His parents astonished with him. You don't get any of that.

43:21

Right. It's just he ran away. We found him. Oh. Well, he does say, you know,

43:27

I was with my father. Well, Joseph's right here that dawns on them. Oh, he meant the temple.

43:32

And the camera kind of pans up to the temple that's over there. Okay. Anyway, you don't actually get to see the thing.

43:39

They have to do something else instead. A lot of scenes are like that. Some of it is because they have to do the best with what they've got.

43:46

But other decisions, really, I think that they're just being lazy. We also meet

43:53

Thomas in this episode, also known as Doubting Thomas. He and his wife are winemakers or party planners of some kind.

44:01

I honestly did not pick that up. Okay. I didn't quite get what their occupation is, but it puts him at the wedding at Cana with Jesus.

44:09

Okay. Now, we don't know a lot of the occupations of the disciples from the Gospels. Right. So you can take some creative liberties there.

44:17

And I think, you know, it's a good. Sure. You might have a conversation with some friends. What do you think so and so did, you know?

44:22

And so that's kind of what they incorporate into the show. That's certainly a place where you could take some creative liberties.

44:28

I just don't think they write it well. Okay. What I didn't like. That's what I liked about the episode.

44:35

What did I not like? Nicodemus goes to visit

44:40

John the Baptist in prison to interview him. This was at the end of episode four.

44:45

Okay. And so they pick up with the interview at the start of episode five. He thinks

44:52

John might be the guy that Nicodemus has heard doing miracles. Why was

44:58

John in prison? We don't know. So he's going and visiting John in prison. We don't know why he was in prison. This was not the imprisonment by Herod as recorded in Matthew 14,

45:08

Mark 6, and Luke 3. Nicodemus says that John was in prison by the

45:13

Romans. This is a Roman cell, he says. He even says that to John. I didn't throw you in here. The Romans did.

45:19

John never had a quarrel with the Romans. In fact, according to Luke 3, 14, some of the

45:25

Romans even came to hear him teach. He never got thrown in jail by the Romans, at least by what's said to us in the

45:31

Gospels. But worse than this, in the show, Nicodemus does not know who

45:39

John the Baptist is. He knows that he's the guy preaching in the wilderness and people are going out to him to be baptized, which we never see any of that, by the way.

45:48

And John is never the precursor to Jesus in this show. He's just a weird guy.

45:55

And that's so far. Maybe they do something different in Seasons 2 and 3, because the show is definitely out of order.

46:01

They'll show a scene here, next episode might flash back to something else, you know what I mean? Okay, got it. So perhaps they're going to change that later on.

46:09

But so far, John the Baptist is like this mysterious figure. Who is John the Baptist? We don't know.

46:14

Even the Pharisees don't know who he is. Everyone would have known who he was. He was the son of Zechariah.

46:21

Zechariah, the priest in the temple. He was from a very well -known family, a very respected family.

46:28

But he gives all of that up to go out to the wilderness and proclaim, make straight the way of the

46:34

Lord. And that's what got everybody perplexed. What in the world is this guy doing out in the wilderness saying these things?

46:42

And so it draws people out there. They hear his teaching. He baptizes them. The baptism being the preparation for the one whom he precedes, which of course we know to be

46:54

Christ, who was his cousin, by the way. Right. They were related. John the Baptist is about six months older than Jesus is.

47:01

So anyway, I just, I hate the way that they write John the Baptist in this show so far. What they've shown,

47:06

I can't stand the way that they write him. And this would be the perfect place to put drama in the show.

47:13

You don't get much more dramatic than John the Baptist. Right. True. And they could be setting him up to establish the

47:22

Pharisees and the Sadducees as bad guys. Like John is the one who says to them, you brood of vipers.

47:28

Yeah. But so far, the Pharisees and Sadducees really aren't anybody to hate.

47:33

They're not anyone you would be concerned about in the way that they've conveyed them in the show so far. Okay.

47:39

The Romans are the bad guys and they're all over the place. But the Pharisees are just kind of like, yeah,

47:45

I just kind of disagree with them. You know, it's interesting. There's not really anything about the Pharisees that makes you go, oh boy, somebody deliver us out of this.

47:54

Yeah. It's nothing like that. Huh. This could easily build tension into the show, which they try to find ways to do that.

48:01

And often it's really bad. But here you've got this great Bible character,

48:06

John the Baptist, through whom you can build all this drama and tension and they don't do it.

48:12

Apparently he's just a name. It's such a missed opportunity. Yeah. So I can't stand that.

48:19

I hate the way that they write John the Baptist in this show. Mary Magdalene travels with the rest of the disciples in the show.

48:25

She's an apostle. This is a modern depiction that's used in other recent

48:31

Jesus stories like like Risen. I mentioned last week, the Bible miniseries, the Son of God.

48:37

But Mary would not have been traveling with a bunch of men. It's fine if you call her a disciple.

48:43

Anyone who learns from Jesus is a disciple. That word means learner. Right. But she was not among the 12.

48:49

She wasn't even among the 70 in Luke 10. This is a narrative that is influenced by modern culture.

48:57

Yeah. And by the way, they write all the women in the show to be super smart and the men to be idiots.

49:03

Oh, so they take a modern twist. Exactly. Yeah. When Peter tells his wife in this episode that he is going to follow

49:11

Jesus, she's overcome with emotion. And Peter thinks she's upset. No, she's very proud.

49:18

She's overjoyed. This is what she was praying for. Oh, okay.

49:25

How did she know who Jesus is? But she's been praying for this and her prayers have been answered.

49:32

Peter is going to go with Jesus. So, like I said, the women are always right. They've always got this right. The men are the knuckleheads.

49:38

Of course we are. Even in the scene with turning the water into wine,

49:45

Thomas's wife does everything Jesus tells them to do. But Thomas, of course, stands there doubting.

49:50

I don't know. I mean, he's doubting Thomas. Yeah. I don't know that you really could have written him any other way.

49:58

But it just kind of adds to the fact that you've got, you know, the women are just, we're going to do whatever you say. We believe him all the time.

50:05

Yeah. Okay. What was that? That was episode five. I'm only one episode in.

50:10

Yeah. Episode six was entitled Indescribable Compassion.

50:16

What I liked about the show, Jesus healing the leper was a neat scene. Okay. Ran up to him on the road.

50:22

But it was not according to the story in Luke 5, 12 to 16. That's clearly the text. That healing of a leper, that's what they were going with.

50:30

Okay. Because of events that happened right after that. It had to be that one in Luke 5. Okay. But there,

50:37

Jesus healed the leper in a city. Yeah, leper. I'm using the right word.

50:43

Right. He was afflicted with leprosy. Okay. There's a lame man later on. I was trying to make sure my

50:48

L word ailments, I was getting that right. So anyway, the people saw

50:53

Jesus heal the man in the city because he was healing him in a city, according to Luke 5.

51:00

Right. So then it says that the word spread quickly about Jesus' ability to heal. Large crowds would gather to be healed of their diseases.

51:07

But that's not what's depicted in the show. No. He heals the leper privately on a road. Hmm. And it just so happens that there are a few people that are just kind of around picking dates off of trees or something.

51:19

I don't know what it was they were doing. Okay. But they saw Jesus heal this man. So then they're going to go run away and tell some people, and that's going to lead to events that happen later.

51:27

But it doesn't come about the way that Luke 5 says that it does. Hmm. Anyway, him healing the leper, that was a pretty good scene.

51:35

There was also a great joke where a man said that he heard about Jesus turning water into wine, and he said, hey, could you do that with the well by my house?

51:46

That was funny. And the guy that did the joke delivered it, like, right on. So that was the most

51:53

I laughed in the show so far. That was the best joke. Now, at the end of the episode, Nicodemus pled with Mary Magdalene to speak to Jesus.

52:03

And I loved the genuineness of his desire to want to talk to Jesus.

52:10

Okay. Eric Avari, I think is how you pronounce his name. He's the man playing Nicodemus, by far the best actor in the show.

52:18

In some scenes, he says some silly things, but I'm going to chalk that up to bad writing. Okay. This particular actor seems to be able to do well with very little.

52:29

So those were some things that I liked in that episode. What I didn't like, once again, the women are the smart ones, and the men are the dunces.

52:37

There was a scene where Jesus was teaching at the inquiry of one of the women, not the men.

52:43

And every question he asked, the women answered correctly, but the men could not.

52:48

I mean, it was almost downright comical. It was like, you're watching this going, all the women are going to get this right, and all the men are going to be idiots.

52:55

And that's exactly the way they wrote it. It's so feminist influenced.

53:03

You're clearly influenced by the feminism of the culture. You're going to make all the women great, and all the men just morons.

53:12

If there is any one woman in the show that's written in such a way that would be like, woman, what are you doing?

53:19

It would be Nicodemus' wife. But you know, she's like the wife of a Pharisee, so of course they don't write her well.

53:28

Where was I? I've got to find it in my notes here. The women answered all the questions.

53:33

Okay, so there's a crowd that's gathering there at the house, and it's not a big crowd.

53:39

And I made a joke about this in episode four as well, where Jesus was talking with the crowd on the shore, but it was like 30 -something people.

53:48

That's it? No, it was about 60 people, but it was still just a small crowd. And when he says to his disciples, can

53:54

I stand on your boat so these people can hear me? It's like, there's 60 people right there. Talk a little louder.

54:00

You got this. So it's the same with the people outside the house. It's really not a big crowd.

54:06

They had enough people there, though, that I felt like if they did some camera work, if they did some right camera work, they could have made it look like a bigger crowd.

54:15

Sure. They just really didn't do a good job with that. So this crowd is gathering, and like the

54:20

Romans are concerned, oh, he's gathering a mob. He's got 40 people outside the house. Yeah, that's not a lot.

54:25

Gathering a mob. And even when the group comes with the lame man, for Jesus to heal the lame man, this is the story where they lower the lame guy through the roof.

54:36

Through the roof, yeah. They're trying to get to see Jesus. It's like, sorry, there's too many people.

54:41

Just push through those people. Everybody can skate. Hey, people, stop for a minute.

54:48

Move. That's all they would have to do. So it's kind of comical that they're trying to build the tension with that, and visually you're going, yeah, just tell somebody to move.

54:58

It just doesn't work. It's like when you're trying to be way too polite at the grocery store. You don't want to tell the lady blocking the lane, hey, can

55:06

I get through? That's what it's like. Excuse me. Hey, can you just, you know. Instead, I'm going to text my wife, this lady won't move.

55:15

Well, tell her to move. Now, let's see. Last thing, also, when the

55:23

Romans rush the house. So at the very end, after the lame man is healed, he leaves the house. The Romans rush the house to arrest

55:31

Jesus because he had attracted a small crowd. But that whole thing, it was completely unnecessary.

55:37

It was like they did that for the sake of tension, maybe to establish some sort of a cliffhanger that would make you hang on for the next episode.

55:46

But they didn't need to do that. Jesus had just performed a miracle, so you're probably going to want to keep watching.

55:54

What's he going to do next? There wasn't a need to do that scene with the Romans. That kind of is the cliffhanger. Right, exactly.

56:00

So that whole thing was silly. I don't even know why they did that. Next episode. Episode 7 was called

56:05

Invitations. And this was another one of those episodes where I really struggled to find something to like.

56:13

I said this about episode 1. Episode 1 was a bear. And really, when

56:19

I was watching, I was going, really? I'm going to have to like something about every single one of these episodes?

56:24

I could not find anything praiseworthy about that first episode. So what I did say

56:30

I liked, I really had to be generous. And this episode was like that.

56:36

This is the episode where Jesus does go and meet with Nicodemus, the exchange that we have in John 3.

56:43

And it was just very poorly done. I'm going to play that clip. I'm going to play the clip of the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus.

56:50

But if I had to find anything in the episode that I liked, it would be the way Jesus called

56:55

Matthew, the tax collector from the tax booth. He's been in the show in every episode so far.

57:02

When Jesus says, Matthew, come follow me. And he just follows him. That was great.

57:08

There wasn't a better way to do that. It was just like, okay. And he just leaves his tax booth and follows him.

57:13

I liked that. I thought that was pretty good. However, the greatness of that moment was ruined when

57:20

Peter says, I don't get it. Why him? And Jesus said, you didn't understand it when

57:25

I called you either. And Peter said, but this is different. He's a tax collector. And Jesus said, get used to different.

57:32

What? Oh, that drove me nuts. Okay. And they sell shirts with that on it.

57:38

Like you go to the chosen website, get used to different. It's like, oh, please. Okay.

57:44

That was just so cheesy. I rolled my eyes at that.

57:49

Of course, it was probably set up by the fact that I've seen the T -shirts. So I knew it had to be in there somewhere.

57:56

And that's where it was. There you go. Get used to different. Everything that people are quoting on the

58:01

T -shirts and the merchandise is not stuff Jesus actually said. Good figure.

58:07

Right. What I did not like. So at the very beginning of the episode, it actually starts with a quarrel between Joshua and Moses.

58:17

Yeah, we're talking Joshua and Moses from Exodus. Wait, what? Yes, those men.

58:25

Okay. Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt. So this was like a wave flashback. Yeah, this was a big flashback, which incidentally, they got the date wrong.

58:34

Oh, okay. So the subtitle said it was in the Sinai Peninsula in the 13th century. It was in the 15th century.

58:40

They were off by 200 years. This is the difference between asking Google and searching the scriptures.

58:48

Yeah. The Exodus is calculated by the years that are given to us in 1st Kings 6 -1.

58:54

Moses led Israel out of Egypt in 1446, and he died in 1406 when

59:02

Israel entered the promised land. But if you ask Google when the Exodus was, it will tell you 13th century

59:09

BCE. Okay, get this. If you ask

59:14

Google when the Israelites entered the promised land, it will tell you 1400

59:19

BCE. Wait, what? Yep.

59:28

All right. Like I said, don't do your Bible research with Google. Open up your

59:34

Bible and just read it. The answer is in there, I promise. That is weird. Anyway, the whole exchange between Moses and Joshua was just an obnoxious exchange, because it's going back to the story in Numbers where the people were being bitten by the serpents.

59:50

It doesn't say that the reason this is happening to them is because they were grumbling against God. That's not even mentioned at all.

59:56

It's just there's vipers in the camp. They're biting people, and they're dying by 300 people a day. But that's part.

01:00:02

Anyway. I mean, that's a pretty critical part. It is huge. And so you've got

01:00:09

Moses, like, banging on a piece of iron. And so what he's making is the bronze serpent. Okay. Now, here it is on the pole.

01:00:15

Go set it up. Whoever looks at it by faith, which that's not even said in the Numbers story either.

01:00:20

It doesn't say by faith they will be healed. It just says if they look at the bronze serpent, they'll be healed. Right. And all of this was meant to be a type and a shadow of Christ.

01:00:30

And Jesus, of course, refers back to that in John 3 when he's talking with Nicodemus. Just as the serpent was raised in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up so that whoever believes will in him have eternal life.

01:00:47

Now, faith is talked about there in John 3. Right. But it didn't say that the people had to look at the bronze serpent and believe, and they would be healed.

01:00:54

Right. Anyway, like I said, didn't care for that exchange between Moses and Joshua. So how about this exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus?

01:01:03

Let's go ahead and cut to it here. The eastern slums. Many wandering preachers have succeeded in gathering crowds with their rhetoric and fiery tone.

01:01:16

I've heard a few of them over the years myself. So you know the type. But I have never heard anyone tell a paralytic to get up and walk, much less it actually happened.

01:01:30

So what is your conclusion? I believe you are not acting alone.

01:01:41

No one can do these signs you do without having God in him.

01:01:47

Only someone who has come from God. And how is that belief going over in the synagogue?

01:01:56

Which is why we are here at this hour.

01:02:05

What else? What have you come here to show us? A kingdom.

01:02:14

That is what our rulers are worried about. So you can tell who's Jesus and who's

01:02:19

Nicodemus here. Yes. I didn't quite set that up. But yeah, this is the the exchange that they're having in John three.

01:02:26

We have in John three one. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him,

01:02:35

Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

01:02:44

We know that you have come from God. Nicodemus didn't quite say it like that there.

01:02:50

But Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

01:02:56

So they're adding a few lines in here. What are you here to do? A kingdom.

01:03:02

I'm bringing a kingdom. Well, we're kind of worried about that, you know. OK, so continuing on.

01:03:08

Not that kind. Then what? A sort of kingdom that a person cannot see unless he is born again.

01:03:16

Born again? Yes. You mean a new creature, a conversion from Gentile to Jewish?

01:03:26

No, no, that's not what I'm talking about. Then what is born again? I hope you don't mean return to the womb, because that would be a problem for me.

01:03:36

My mother, may she rest in peace, is dead. This is just, it's one of those things where the dialogue that we have in the

01:03:45

Bible is better written than what you're doing. You know what I mean? Yeah.

01:03:51

Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

01:03:58

Nicodemus said, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?

01:04:07

Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

01:04:16

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

01:04:23

Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going.

01:04:34

So is everyone who has been born of the spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be?

01:04:43

Jesus answered and said, are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things?

01:04:48

That's a rebuke, by the way. Yeah, it is. Keep that in mind, because you never hear that kind of thing going on between Jesus and Nicodemus here.

01:04:56

You're a teacher of Israel, and you don't understand these things. Truly, truly,

01:05:02

I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness of what we have seen, and you do not accept our witness.

01:05:12

What's going to happen here in this exchange, Nicodemus pretty much accepts their witness. So this is not the way that this plays out in John 3.

01:05:23

Jesus goes on to say, verse 12, if I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

01:05:31

And no one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

01:05:38

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

01:05:43

Now that's through verse 15. Of course, we know what's next, John 3, 16. Right. So I'll cut back in there at that point.

01:05:50

Truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the

01:05:56

Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the

01:06:07

Spirit is spirit. That part of you, that is what must be reborn to a new life.

01:06:18

How can these things be? A teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things.

01:06:26

I'm trying, Rabbi. I know. Do you hear this?

01:06:36

What? Listen. What do you hear?

01:06:43

The wind? How do you know it's the wind? Because I can feel it.

01:06:49

I hear it sound. Do you know where it comes from? No. Do you know where it's going?

01:06:55

No. That's what it is to be born again of the Spirit. The Spirit may work in a way that is a mystery to you.

01:07:04

And while you cannot see the Spirit, you can recognize His effect. Mind is consumed with thoughts of what a stir these words would cause among the teachers of the law.

01:07:18

Yes, and I do not expect otherwise. I speak of what

01:07:23

I know and have seen, and it has not been received by the religious leaders. It is hard to receive.

01:07:29

So if I have told you of earthly things, and you do not believe, how can

01:07:36

I tell you heavenly things? I believe your words. I just fear you may not have a chance to speak many more of them before you are silenced.

01:07:45

I have come to do more than speak words, Nicodemus. More miracles? Yes, but even more than that.

01:07:54

Do you remember when the children of Israel complained against God and against Moses in the wilderness of Paran?

01:08:01

Yes. They wanted to return to Egypt, and they cursed the manna that God sent them. And then?

01:08:07

They were bitten by serpents, and they were dying. But? But. So even there, recalling the story in Numbers, even there when

01:08:19

Nicodemus repeats it, he doesn't say the people were being bitten because they sinned.

01:08:24

They grumbled against God. I mean, it depends on your filter that you put that through. I can kind of, like, stretch it.

01:08:33

But yeah, he really doesn't. That's the thing with people that will have that much grace with this show. And I've referred to this before as, like,

01:08:43

Mad Lib theology. Yes. Isn't that what it is? The Mad Libs, where you've got the blank.

01:08:48

Put a noun here. Put an adjective. Right. It's Mad Lib theology. They leave blanks, and you fill them in with all your words.

01:08:55

And if you've got sound orthodoxy, then you're probably putting sound orthodoxy in the blanks, and you're going, well, that's biblical.

01:09:03

If you don't, you're out in left field. Yeah, but if you've got heterodox beliefs, then you're going to hear wrong things in what's said there.

01:09:12

Kind of open up the wrong door. Yeah, exactly. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I did not come to deliver the people from Rome.

01:09:44

And from what? From sin. From spiritual death. From sin.

01:09:51

Okay. Yeah. We're on to something. From spiritual death. The wages of sin is death.

01:10:00

Actual, literal death. And the judgment of God that comes upon a person because of their rebellion against him.

01:10:09

Yeah. These words, of course, that he's saying right here, they're not in John 3. They're adding to the text.

01:10:17

And this is something that I warned about last week. They are teaching you something. As much as you want to say, no, they're just taking what's from the

01:10:24

Bible, and they're putting that into dialogue, into script form in the show. No, they're teaching you something.

01:10:30

And what they're teaching you is not. Women are always right. I couldn't help it.

01:10:38

Sorry. I wish I had just a longer pause in there so that your timing would have been, but no,

01:10:46

I got to talk too fast. You do. That was spot on. Sorry.

01:10:52

Okay. Go ahead. I'll be quiet. No, that was good. Got some comic relief in there.

01:11:00

Anyway, so they are teaching you something in this. There is extra words that becomes commentary.

01:11:08

It doesn't come from Scripture. It comes from their own ad -libbing. Ephesians 2, you were dead in your sins and your transgressions in which you once walked.

01:11:19

Sure, there's spiritual death there. But Jesus is saving us from more than that. Ultimately, what he's saving us from is the wrath of God.

01:11:28

Right. That's burning against us because of our sin. Extra commentary that's in there.

01:11:34

But, of course, he doesn't say that. Now, here we get to the John 316 part. Okay. God loves the world in this way.

01:11:43

That he gave his only son. That whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

01:11:52

So this has nothing to do with Rome. All about sin.

01:11:59

God did not send his son into the world to condemn Nicodemus. He sent him to save it through him.

01:12:07

It's as simple as Moses' serpent on the pole. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.

01:12:15

But whoever does not believe stands condemned already. Have you ever heard anything like this before? Shh. So right there at the part where Jesus said, whoever does not believe is condemned already, it cut.

01:12:28

Did you notice that? Yes. It cut right where he said that. The scene cuts to where the disciples are sitting, listening to this exchange that's going on.

01:12:36

So you get the sense of like, okay, John overheard all of this, and that's why he's writing it down. Right. That was kind of why they added it in.

01:12:43

Which is fine if they put that in there. No big deal. But it's cutting out the fact. Yeah.

01:12:49

That whoever does not believe is condemned already. And what does the text go on to say from there?

01:12:55

Verse 19. This is the judgment that the light has come into the world, and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.

01:13:06

Can't say that. Can't say that in this show. We're getting a little bit too deep there.

01:13:13

For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed.

01:13:19

But he who practices the truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been done by God.

01:13:31

Has the season ever addressed what sin is? No. No, that's never been said.

01:13:38

Okay. Sin is lawlessness. It's what it says in 1 John. If you break

01:13:43

God's law, you have sinned. But there's no gospel presentation here. Right.

01:13:49

This is as much gospel as there's ever been in the show up to this point. Okay. For Jesus to say

01:13:55

John 3, 16 is the most gospel that has been in the show. When I met Lilith, Mary, that day,

01:14:06

I told my wife and my students she was beyond human aid. Only God could have healed her.

01:14:15

And then I saw her. Healed.

01:14:24

And here you are, the healer.

01:14:34

My whole life I would see this day.

01:14:46

Follow me, and you'll see more. Follow you?

01:14:52

Join me and my students. In two days' time, we leave Capernaum.

01:14:58

Come see the kingdom I am bringing into this world. But I can't.

01:15:04

You have a position in the Sanhedrin. You have family. You are getting advanced in years.

01:15:14

I understand. But the invitation is still open.

01:15:21

The invitation to what exactly? To lead a nomadic life? To give up who

01:15:29

I am? It's true. There is a lot you would give up. But what you would gain is far greater and more lasting.

01:15:42

Is this another one of your born -again mysteries? Maybe. I know mysteries aren't easy for a scholar.

01:15:59

Think about it. Take your time. On the morning of the fifth day, we leave.

01:16:06

And we'll meet by the well in the southern quarter at dawn. Is this...

01:16:18

Is the kingdom of God really coming? What does your heart tell you?

01:16:28

My heart is swollen with fear and wonder.

01:16:34

It can tell me nothing except that I am standing on holy ground. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

01:16:45

Is that like a follow your heart kind of thing? That's exactly what it is. Oh my goodness, no. That is exactly what it is.

01:16:51

No, no, no, no, no, no. The Bible even specifically says against that. It's amazing that you just jumped in right there at that.

01:16:57

Oh, it's driving me nuts. Okay, I'm done. Yep, you got it.

01:17:03

It is a follow your heart invitation. That's exactly what it is.

01:17:10

I do hope you come with us, Nicodemus. You don't have to do that.

01:17:22

What are you doing? Kiss the sun. Lest he be angry and you perish in the way.

01:17:31

Okay, what's happening right here? And you don't see Nicodemus is bowing before him and kissing his hand.

01:17:38

And Jesus is saying, what are you doing? You don't have to do that. Whoa, what? And what

01:17:43

Nicodemus quoted there was Psalm to kiss the sun. Lest he become angry and you perish in the way.

01:17:50

Jesus would not have told him not to kneel. No, there's never an occasion in the

01:17:56

Gospels where he tells someone not to kneel. Peter kneels before him. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

01:18:13

Anyway, and then they hug and there's lots of tears. Sure. Not in John 3. Maybe they're getting confused between the angels response to people kneeling.

01:18:22

Yeah, right. Don't kneel. Stand up. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Because John fell down before an angel.

01:18:29

Yeah. And the angel told him, get up. Yeah. So there's that's the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus.

01:18:38

Okay. Well, that was disappointing. Which John or John to Psalm two is about Christ kiss the sun.

01:18:45

Lest he become angry and you perish in the way. That's exactly about Christ. Nicodemus is even making that connection.

01:18:52

That's outside of the biblical text. It's outside of the exchange that we read about in the narrative. But Nicodemus is making that connection.

01:18:59

And Jesus tries to tell him no. And then says, blessed are all who take refuge in him. As though to say, this is the better Psalm reference here.

01:19:07

Blessed are those who take refuge. It's like Nicodemus would be smarter than Jesus about that kind of stuff.

01:19:13

It was just weird. Yeah. That's awkward. So anyway, that was the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus.

01:19:21

I had a longer clip of Jesus with the woman at the well. I'm not going to play that whole segment.

01:19:28

Okay. So let's let's abbreviate a little bit. Because there's just one part that I really want to. I mean, there's some other parts that we could ridicule.

01:19:35

But there's really one part that's clearly wrong. Okay. This goes right to the next chapter.

01:19:41

It's the next episode. So this is the last episode of the season. Episode eight entitled,

01:19:46

I am he. Jesus finally heals Peter's mother -in -law. Which was kind of cute, actually.

01:19:53

Because he just kneels by her bedside, touches her hand, and says, leave her. Or something like that.

01:19:58

And she just shoots up and begs. And he goes, why are you all standing around? Let me get you some drinks. See, that was funny.

01:20:04

Because in the narrative in the Gospels, it actually does kind of sound like that. Okay. He just healed her.

01:20:09

And then she just waits on everybody. However, it's kind of weird that earlier in the season, he was in Peter's house, but didn't go heal

01:20:20

Peter's mother -in -law. Wait, what? Yeah. So as far as the writing of the show goes, it doesn't make sense that they've had

01:20:27

Jesus previously in the house. And when Jesus was there, he even told Peter, go tend to your mother -in -law.

01:20:33

But he didn't go heal her. Okay. That didn't make any sense. Don't even write that scene in there.

01:20:39

Yeah. Because it just makes it... Jesus is there, but he doesn't go heal the woman? Yeah. You just made it awkward.

01:20:45

Just bizarre. Yeah. So anyway, it's the

01:20:50

Samaritan woman at the well that's kind of the highlight of the episode. That doesn't happen until like the last ten minutes of the episode.

01:20:56

But here's a little bit of that exchange. Okay. Would you give me a drink? Can you hear me?

01:21:07

That's bad, huh? What? You, would you ask for a drink from me, a

01:21:14

Samaritan? And a woman? I'm sorry. I should have said please.

01:21:23

Jesus apologized. He apologized to the Samaritan woman at the well.

01:21:29

I'm sorry. I should have said... I should have been more polite. That's just awkward.

01:21:37

I don't know. Maybe they were going for comedic relief or something. I don't know. I don't know.

01:21:42

Yeah, it didn't work. You know, it's not safe for you to be alone out here. Nor you.

01:21:49

Why haven't you come with others? And why so late in the day? Don't women come to the wells in the cool of the morning?

01:21:55

Yeah, well, none of them will be seen with me, so I have to come out alone. And the heat has even so kindly reminded me.

01:22:04

Why won't they be seen with you? Long story. I'd still like a drink of water if you can spare it.

01:22:15

Amazing what a parched throat will do. Aren't I unclean to you?

01:22:23

Won't you be defiled by this vessel? Wait, she didn't explain why.

01:22:30

Why Jesus would be defiled drinking from that vessel? Yeah. I can't remember if they ever did explain the whole thing about the

01:22:37

Samaritans before this episode. Okay. I don't know. I don't know if it was said there.

01:22:42

Well, yeah, there was kind of a part where Matthew had directed them. We should go this way.

01:22:49

And Jesus says, nope, we're going this way. And that puts them through Samaria. But I don't remember there being an exchange there about we can't go that way.

01:22:56

It's full of Samaritans, and they're dirty. It's unclean. We can't interact with.

01:23:02

I don't remember that. So are you just supposed to know that? I guess. I'm not sure. Okay. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be.

01:23:08

Yeah. Because, you know, the people watching don't know. I'm sorry.

01:23:41

But Jewish water is better than Samaritan water. That's not what I said. Are you a better man than our ancestor

01:23:47

Jacob, who dug this well? Your water is better than his? I know Jacob. And everyone who drinks this water will thirst again.

01:23:57

But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. Wouldn't that be nice?

01:24:05

The water I give will become in a person a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.

01:24:12

Really? Yes, really. Prove it.

01:24:22

First, go and call your husband and come back. I will show you both. I don't have a husband. You are right.

01:24:28

You've had five husbands. And the man you're living with now is not your husband.

01:24:41

I see. You're a prophet. You're here to preach at me. Usually the one good thing about coming here alone is

01:24:50

I can escape being condemned. That was the part that I wanted to grab. So where she says, you're a prophet and you're to preach at me.

01:24:57

And he goes, no. Yes. That's exactly why he's there.

01:25:03

And the thing is, like, later on, I'm not going to we're going to skip the rest of this part.

01:25:09

But later on, he says, I'm here for you. I came here to meet you.

01:25:16

Talking about that woman, which is a very Calvinist statement, by the way. I really don't think the writers of this show are

01:25:25

Calvinist or predestination. But that's really what that sounds like. I knew you would be here and I came here to meet you.

01:25:30

That does. Anyway, so he says that's not why he's here.

01:25:37

No, I didn't come to preach. But that's exactly why he's there is to preach and to meet her. So she goes back into the village and brings all the people to listen to him where he's going to preach the message of salvation for a few days.

01:25:49

Right. That's the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John four.

01:25:55

And in fact, in Mark one, verse 38, he says to his disciples, let us go elsewhere to the towns nearby so that I may preach there.

01:26:07

Also, for that is what I came out to do. Preach.

01:26:12

Yes. Jesus came to preach and do miracles. Sure. And die for our sins.

01:26:18

Absolutely. He also came to preach. Yes. He came to preach the message of the kingdom.

01:26:24

Hence why his ministry begins in Matthew four with him preaching. That's how it starts.

01:26:30

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand in Mark chapter one. His ministry begins with him preaching.

01:26:36

Repent and believe the gospel. Yeah. Maybe that's why the person in the beginning of one of the interviews said that you made

01:26:46

Jesus out to be so kind. Yeah, right. He doesn't preach at me. He doesn't tell me

01:26:51

I'm a sinner in need of a savior, which that was the reason for that exchange between the Samaritan woman where he talks about not being married.

01:26:58

You've had five husbands and the man you're with now is not your husband, right? He's showing her her sin.

01:27:05

Exactly. So that she's convicted of heart and understands him to be the Messiah that she needs.

01:27:11

Anyway, so let me skip to the last part of this. This is after, you know, Jesus and her. They've had that whole exchange.

01:27:17

She's running back to the city to or to the town to tell everybody.

01:27:23

Hey, come listen to a man who told me everything that I ever done. And the disciples are now coming back with the food that they went into the town to get for him.

01:27:31

All right. So that's this scene here. You forgot your.

01:27:49

We got food. What would you like? I have food to eat that you do not know about.

01:28:00

All right. I like that line. It's funny. I had to get that one in there. Honestly, I've envisioned that exactly that way because they come back and they say, we got you food.

01:28:10

And he says, I have food that you know nothing about. And the disciples don't know what he's talking about. Right.

01:28:15

In John four. So I just kind of that was exactly the way I thought of it. We got you food while Andrew's chewing on a bread or whatever he was doing there.

01:28:25

Okay. So that's the end of episode eight. That's it. Okay. And then and that begins.

01:28:32

Jesus now telling people that he's the Messiah because Peter goes, oh, we can tell people now. That's kind of the way that all that ends.

01:28:39

So that's the end of season one. Eight episode season one. Then you launch into season two from there.

01:28:44

So after that episode plays, let's go back to the response video that we were playing from earlier.

01:28:50

Yeah. How did the select audience that they chose react to the end of season one?

01:28:57

This is about 60 seconds. So you'll hear their reactions to it here. Okay. The fact that like Jesus is in here and he's saying, well,

01:29:04

I came here for you. I felt as an audience member, like she is a representation of everybody that's sitting out there.

01:29:11

Like he is showing up for you. And I don't know. Sorry. It was big. I really like that.

01:29:17

I feel like the message it gives out is like you don't have to like look or be or do certain things in order to be like valuable.

01:29:25

Yeah. And just like have worth as like a person. I love the end. I'm serious.

01:29:32

I want to be his friend. Like he's my whole day. I've been hearing about the series from almost all my friends.

01:29:38

Right. I see their Instagram stories. I see whatever you post. And they're always like the chosen, the chosen, chosen.

01:29:44

And I'm like, okay, this is probably going to be another cheesy Christian series.

01:29:49

Okay. So don't don't try to push it on me because I am not. I'm not going to do it.

01:29:55

Okay. Yeah, I'm here. What was that?

01:30:10

Can you tell what they're doing there? No. They're all just hugging each other. Well, this is a great watch party.

01:30:16

Yay. They actually go from this studio into the next one where they sit down with Jonathan Rumi and they have that whole thing that I played earlier.

01:30:23

Okay. So yeah. And they're all like hugging. God bless. God bless.

01:30:30

Such a great time. God's bless. Yeah. Yeah. God's bless for that one guy. Yeah. So, folks, that's the end of season one.

01:30:40

You got a mega episode from us in this particular Q &A. There was another question that I was supposed to read leading into all of that, and I didn't read the question.

01:30:49

Hang on. Let me bring my questions page back up. So this other email came from David.

01:30:55

Dear what? Please do more episodes on The Chosen. It is such an awful show and promotes an ecumenical

01:31:02

Jesus, which means anybody of any faith, we can all relate to this Jesus. I have seen it infiltrate many churches, going so far as to even having a friend of mine praying for me that I would start watching the show as if it were a sin not to.

01:31:19

Oh, wow. You know, when The Passion of the Christ came out, this is 20 years now, 20 years ago when

01:31:24

The Passion of the Christ came out. Yep. Like I said, this comes about every decade. So you had The Passion of the Christ, and then you had the

01:31:30

Bible miniseries, and now we have The Chosen. Right. So, yeah, just kind of, what's it going to be next decade?

01:31:37

Anyway, but when The Passion of the Christ came out, I had friends that would not go see it. Absolutely wouldn't go see it for different reasons.

01:31:44

One group of friends would say, it's a second commandment violation. I'm not going to go see Jesus portrayed on a screen.

01:31:51

Then another group would say, I don't need to see that. It's violent.

01:31:58

It's gross. There's a lot of blood. I mean, you know, Mel Gibson, that's the way that he made it. It's pretty graphic.

01:32:04

Right. I don't need to see that to know Christ. I just need to read my Bible. Both persons coming from a very biblical basis for why they would not watch the movie.

01:32:16

Either because I feel like I'm breaking the second commandment, or because I don't need it. I've already got the

01:32:21

Bible. Those are biblical reasons to not see that movie. But then I had another group of friends that were saying, if you're not willing to go see it,

01:32:29

I just don't know that you're a Christian. Oh, wow. Why would you not want to go see that? Why would you not want to have the opportunity to witness something you've been reading about your entire life?

01:32:40

Because what they did in the film is not exactly what you read in the Bible. Let's start with that.

01:32:47

Yeah. So, yeah, there are, even with The Chosen, there are people that are thinking, you have to like this.

01:32:55

It's Jesus. Who are you if you don't like The Chosen? Maybe you're not really a Christian.

01:33:00

There are some people that are measuring folks that way. David goes on to say, it was promoted on many large platforms, such as Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade this year.

01:33:10

Speaking of Greg Laurie, maybe you could do a show on him and his Harvest Crusades and the mass invitation system. Because, yeah, he's still doing the altar call stuff.

01:33:18

Oh, okay. Thank you for your faithfulness, brother. And I appreciate that, David. Thank you for your email.

01:33:25

I meant to read that before we went into the critique of the show. Yeah. I forgot. Anyway, thank you for that.

01:33:31

You can send an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com. Folks, stay away from The Chosen.

01:33:38

Yeah. And if you want some help on how can I warn somebody that this is not really going to give you the biblical

01:33:44

Jesus, and by your support of this show, you're actually supporting what they believe to be evangelism efforts that's leading people into more and more error.

01:33:53

Mm -hmm. So how can you convince someone not to partner with any of this? Send them to this podcast.

01:33:59

Hopefully, they'll listen to the podcast episode and recognize the problems with it, and hopefully, they'll stay away from it.

01:34:05

Yeah. The Chosen is reaching millions and millions and millions of people, hundreds of millions of people.

01:34:11

I've seen the numbers. I know how many people have watched this show. A few thousand are going to hear my podcast.

01:34:17

Mm -hmm. Sorry, babe. I know I'm not supposed to talk about the numbers. But that's just to say, what we're doing here is a drop in the bucket.

01:34:25

Right. But I'm faithful to the ministry that God has called me to. Mm -hmm. And one of the responsibilities a pastor has, according to Titus 1 -9, is he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, giving instruction in sound doctrine and rebuking those who contradict it.

01:34:46

And I'm doing both here through this podcast. Mm -hmm. Teaching sound doctrine, calling out those who contradict it.

01:34:54

And the sound doctrine doesn't come from your head. It doesn't come from your heart.

01:34:59

Or Google. It comes straight from the Bible. Read your Bible. And that is the commitment of this podcast,

01:35:07

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Bible study, Q &A on Friday, which still comes down to Bible study.

01:35:14

Yep. We're still opening our Bibles, and we're still considering all things according to what the word of God says.

01:35:21

Paul told the Thessalonians, test everything, hold fast to what is good, abhor what is evil.

01:35:30

Let's pray. Yes, let's. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the time that we have together, and I pray that even as we do these things, calling out error and promoting the truth, that we do so in love, because we love people.

01:35:42

Not because we want to sound like we're smarter than anybody else, or we have some sort of jealousy toward someone's success, but we want

01:35:50

Christ to be proclaimed. And we want him to be proclaimed as the

01:35:56

Bible talks about him. Not according to what makes us feel good. Not according to what is going to be the most appealing to the most number of people.

01:36:05

We want to be faithful to God's word. It is from this word that we have come to faith in the true

01:36:11

Jesus. And it is through this word that others will come to know him as well. So keep us faithful to these things.

01:36:18

Help us to understand the gospel and how to communicate it. That knowledge that we have sinned, the

01:36:25

Holy Spirit opening our eyes to recognizing our sin according to your word, and our need for a

01:36:31

Savior, and then hearing that Christ is that Savior. He who died, rose again from the dead, is exalted, and seated at the right hand of God, is coming back again to judge the living and the dead.

01:36:43

But all who believe in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.

01:36:49

Guide us in your truth, may it change our lives, and we live according to your will. It is in Jesus' name that we pray.

01:36:56

Amen. Amen. All right, babe.

01:37:07

Give me a shooby -dooby -doo. Shooby. Shooby.

01:37:14

Dooby? Doo. There you go. We got it.

01:37:22

You're so weird. That was my mic check. That was a very, very poor

01:37:27

Sammy Davis Jr. impression. Oh, wow. That's been a minute. Okay.

01:37:39

We're going to eat this fruitcake. You ready? No. We've got to do our intro. Well, I know that.

01:37:48

I'm tired. I'm just saying this is what we're going to start with. Okay, okay, okay. Do I not leave you enough room over here?

01:37:58

No. All my Bibles. Hey, no, no, no, no. Whoa, what? It's propping up. Oh, it's holding your phone. You're using the

01:38:05

Bible to support your phone? Yeah. On Christ the solid rock

01:38:11

I stand. Exactly. Okay, you ready?

01:38:18

Maybe. This is when we understand the text.

01:38:24

A daily Bible commentary to help encourage your time in the word. Listen in for Bible study

01:38:31

Monday to Tuesday. Monday to Thursday. Thursday. Obviously.

01:38:38

Because remember, today was going to be a Thaco Thursday. I still think

01:38:43

Tahaco Thursday works. Nobody's going to look at TH and say Tahaco. It's Tahaco.

01:38:49

It's Thaco. It's Thomas. Thaco Thursday. Thomas. It's always

01:38:55

Thomas. Everybody's pronouncing that one wrong, too. Okay.