We had the joy of a roomful of friends to watch The Chosen with last night. It’s been our choice for Bible Study for a bit now. Every episode has some profound truths that are easy to overlook as you try to live the Christian life. Last night had so many nuggets of truth to ponder, I just had to share.
A follower of Jesus contemplating the challenges of following Jesus says, “I guess I didn’t think through how this would work.”
- LOL Isn’t that the truth?! Following Him doesn’t go ‘as planned,’ and you simply can’t fathom the challenges you will face. (THANKFULLY!)
Matthew explaining his choice to follow God: “It wasn’t hard to leave it all behind even though I was comfortable. Numbers didn’t make the world clear anymore.”
- What brought you to God? What life management technique/understanding ‘stopped working’ for you?
Phillip speaking to Matthew as he grapples with his perceived deficiencies: “What you think you know doesn’t matter. You have everything you need.” Later, they talked about Matthew’s desire to make up for ‘lost time,’ and Phillip replied: “You didn’t lose time; it was just rearranged.”
- Ever thought you knew something, only to find out your knowledge was scanty at best—and often just wrong? Ever doubt that you have all you need for the problem you are facing?
Matthew explaining his desire to write down what Jesus said: “I hear people quarreling about His words, misquoting Him and misunderstanding Him. Writing it down should help.”
- I sure am glad it’s written down, but we still do much the same, don’t we?
Jesus responding to Phillip’s inquiry about time to visit a friend as they traveled through an area: “If we don’t make time for friends, we won’t have any.” Later Jesus talked with Peter who expressed impatience at how others spent (wasted) so much time thinking about unimportant matters. Peter was frustrated at being slowed down, and Jesus said, “If someone else’s concerns are slowing you down, maybe you need to slow down.”
- We need each other. And sharing (giving & receiving) experiences and viewpoints is critical to understanding.
Nathaniel, portrayed as an architect devoted to honoring God, experiences a tragic failure that leaves him feeling ‘dead.’ He describes himself as having died of hubris (pride). Sitting under a fig tree (love how they expanded that verse 😊), he cries out to God, “I did this all for you. Do you even see me.” When Jesus delivers the well-know line, “When you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” we all felt that hope of believing he hears our desperate cries.
- Have you given your all only to have it fall apart? Seeing your righteous rags—your best for God–exposed as filthy rags is devastating, humbling. Jesus redeems it! Hallelujah!
Valuing differences popped up repeatedly in the episode. Not passing judgment on others—or even on ourselves was powerfully displayed through Philip’s and Jesus’ words: “You don’t know your impact.” “Everyone has been called for a reason. I want every voice heard.” “You, Simon, could be nicer, but you are leader. I will use that later.”
- It’s hard to set aside our preferences and look through Jesus’ eyes at one another. But it delights His heart and improves our lives.
I hope some of these touched you and you’ve enjoyed this. The Chosen is a unique series…not Scripture, but the creative license is well-researched. I highly recommend it. It will challenge you in your walk…and ideally drive you to the Word.
I’d love to hear how God speaks to your heart in some of these…I know I love a Bible Study that leaves me thinking about it the next day. Hearing others thoughts is awesome – we really do need each other!
Heartsong Ministries 