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The Chosen
“Get used to different!”
From their website: “The Chosen is the first ever multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. Created outside of the Hollywood system, The Chosen allows us to see Him through the eyes of those who knew Him. No matter where you are at in your journey with Jesus Christ, this TV show is for you.
Website |
Watch the Season 1
Trailer
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YouTube Channel
Get the App
“The Chosen” is a multi-season video series based on the traditional
three-year ministry of Yeshua (I personally hold to a
one-year ministry,
but I certainly won’t be dogmatic about it). Although it is not 100% biblically accurate, it is
not intended to be. The creators did not want to produce just another film
using the Gospel accounts as a script. They want to show that the people in the
Gospel accounts (including Yeshua in His humanity) were just regular people like
you and I are, so they have imagined the lives of the people whom Yeshua touched.
They didn’t want to create just anothet Bible narrative, they want
to create a historical fiction story about the life of the
historical Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth. Which is to say that it is an extremely well done docu-drama presenting events
in the life of Yeshua as they very well may have happened, just as John
says as he closes his Gospel account.
There are also many other things that Yeshua did; and if they were all to be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would have to be written. (John 21:25)
“The Chosen” is not Scripture; it is not intended to replace Scripture. It is intended to introduce people to the central character of Scripture and thereby influence some who have never considered the Scriptures to do so. The goal of the series’ creator is to put this Gospel message into the hands of billions of people around the world, free of charge, and it is now showing on the CW Network on TV.
I have absolutely no doubt that Jonathan Roumie (a devout and clearly born-again, evangelical, Roman Catholic; watch the interview) will be the image of Yeshua for millions (perhaps billions) of people around the world for many years to come. They have seven seasons planned, if Yeshua should delay His return, and season 4 is scheduled for release early in 2024.
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Jonathan Roumie as Yeshua prays “Our Father” in first century Aramaic over thousands |
When I saw the first episode I was absolutely mesmerized and spent the entire rest of the day binge-watching all of season one (and weeping through much of it), including the behind-the-scenes commentary, on my phone app. Although it clearly presents the story from a Christian perspective (as compared to a Messianic Jewish perspective), it is extremely well done. One of the most refreshing things about the series for me is that it is one of the very few Bible-based programs that I have seen that does not employ blue-eyed Anglo actors with British accents to portray Jewish people. (Which I personally feel is absolutely obscene, perhaps even blasphemous!) All of the principle characters in “The Chosen” are portrayed by people who are ethnically middle-Eastern, Eastern, or Mediterranean, the producers have gone to great lengths to make sure that the look and feel is clearly Hebraic, and they try very hard to keep all the dialog in a Hebraic-sounding accent for the Jewish characters. To ensure they do not do damage to the Biblical account, they have a team of theology consultants — a Messianic Jewish Rabbi, a Roman Catholic Priest, and an Evangelical Scholar — who review every script before filming begins. These script consultants are not censors in any way. They are only concerned with the questions, “Is it plausable that this event could have happened in the way we have written it?” and “Does this episode in any way do damage to the Scriptures?”
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Although it admittedly contains some anachronisms (for example, they eat seated in chairs around a table and have metal buckles in their sandals), they do not detract in any way from the greatest story ever told. It is warm and sensitive, and will make you absolutely fall in love with the version of Yeshua that is presented. I rate it five stars! It is without a doubt the very best portrait of the Master and those around Him that I have ever seen, with an incredibly committed cast and crew.
About the Director
Dallas Jenkins, son of celebrated Left Behind author Jerry
Jenkins, first produced the independent feature “Hometown
Legend” at the age of 25 and shepherded it to distribution by
Warner Brothers. In the nearly 20 years since then, he has
directed and produced over a dozen feature and short films
for companies such as Universal, Lionsgate, Pureflix,
Hallmark Channel, and Amazon. His most recent film,
“The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,” released in theaters in 2017.
He is now directing and producing the largest crowd-funded
media project of all-time, a multi-season series about the
life of Christ entitled “The Chosen.”
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Special Report: ‘The Chosen Phenomenon’ | NewsNation “The Chosen Phenomenon” presented by NewsNation gives rare, behind-the-scenes access to the show’s stars, showrunners and sprawling set in Dallas, Texas. NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert talks with the cast and crew about the making of the show and the impact it has had on audiences across the country. |
| The first
season of the Chosen was a huge success, and Frs. Casey and Patrick
gave it a great review. But season 2 is now released and we have to
wonder: is it as good as the first? |
| Bishop Barron and Jonathan Roumie: A Conversation |
| Friends, at the Good
News Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jonathan Roumie for a
conversation moderated by my brother, John. We covered a wide range of topics in
our conversation, from “The Simpsons,” to “The Chosen,” to acting tips, to the
Word of God. |
| The immense weight of playing Jesus |
| We haven’t shown
any “behind the scenes” footage or interviews with Jonathan Roumie, the actor
who plays Jesus in The Chosen. We wanted to protect from distraction the
experience of watching Jesus in the show, and we recognize it’s a delicate
issue for many viewers. But recently our director Dallas sat down with Jonathan
for an exclusive conversation that digs deep into the experience and pressure
of portraying Jesus for a worldwide show. |
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
