The Chosen Episode guide: Season 3, Episode 2
S3, E2
Biblical: What We Find in Scripture
Jesus does send out the disciples two by two to go and preach the good news. This is recorded in Matthew 10, Mark 6, and Luke 9. However, this scene is quite embellished. We have no record of Matthew offering his home, disciples being given specific jobs for caring for the crowds, disciples nominating one other for certain jobs/roles, etc.
Unbiblical: What Contradicts Scripture
One of the closing scenes is both unbiblical and helpful, which I think also makes it dangerous. Rather than putting things in all of those different categories, I have decided to put it here and cover all three. Right at the end of this episode, “little James” comes to Jesus and asks him for healing as he is slow to walk and being sent out with the disciples two by two. There is no biblical record of any of the disciples getting healed, or needing healed, during Jesus’ earthly ministry. But more to the point, there is no biblical record that anyone who ever came to Jesus for healing was denied by him. That makes this part of the episode unbiblical. Yes, this is something that is made up and therefore is extra-biblical, but it also seems to be in disagreement with the biblical record. However, this scene makes a point that there are better things to be received from Jesus than physical healing, a point that is both true and important. But what makes this dangerous is that a good lesson is being learned from something that is contrary to the biblical record. There are plenty of true things that Jesus did and said that this point can be learned from. It is best to get our good doctrine from true events.
Extra-biblical: What Is Made Up but Doesn’t Contradict Scripture
The opening scenes of this episode are not found in the pages of scripture. This one includes the Romans, having a conversation in Capernaum, as well as the disciples talking to the gathering crowd. However, I would encourage you to look below for some helpful things in these scenes.
As noted in the previous episode, nothing biblically is known of Matthew‘s family. These scenes with his parents are not found in the Bible.
Quintus and Gaius continue to be fictional characters, and therefore the scenes that they are in are also fictional.
We don’t really know anything from scripture of James and John’s father. Certainly not that he made ceremonial oil.
While Simon Peter was from Capernaum and lived there with his wife, we don’t really have any record of anything happening there other than the healing of Peter‘s mother-in-law. We also have no knowledge of any attempt to redraw district lines for taxation. All of the seas woven through this episode at the home of Simon Peter are also fictional.
Simon was a zealot, which was a sect of Jews that tried to fight against Rome. This rooftop scene with Simon and the Roman official is not from the Bible. It is made up for this episode.
Ramah, and all the scenes in this episode that include her, are fictional.
The closing scenes that have the disciples making plans for their departure, including Matthew’s interaction with the made-up character Gaius, are fictional and have been written for this episode.
Helpful: What We Might Be Helpful To the Watcher
While opening scenes may not be found in the Bible, we do begin to see how much the crowds saw Jesus out. The gospels clearly present us with the crowds regularly gathering to hear from Jesus and see the miracles that he performed.
Even though the scene with Matthew‘s parents is not biblical, there are elements that are helpful. Though some background might be needed in order to understand why. In the scene, his father says “I had no right to disown you,“ but this is not how the Jews would have understood this. They would have thought it was the father‘s duty to discipline and disowned his son. That is what makes Jesus teaching on the prodigal son so shocking, the Jews would have thought it unthinkable that a father would not have disciplined his son and instead received him back. The reason this scene is helpful is because it shows repentance on the part of Matthew‘s father, but more than that, it shows the incredibly countercultural nature of Jesus’ message.
Dangerous: Things That Have Been Added That Might Be Dangerous to Accept as Fact
I believe that there is a danger inherent in every episode and for that reason I’m including this suggestion in every episode guide. The danger is assuming that the things in the episodes of the Chosen that are not in the Bible are true, part of the biblical record. In order to avoid this danger, I would encourage everyone who watches the Chosen to compare it to the biblical record. IN part, this is because most of what is in each episode of the Chosen is not found in the Bible. There is more speculation here than actual events recorded in the Bible. If you want a harmony of all of the gospels in chronological order to aid this, then I would recommend purchasing a copy of One Perfect Life by John MacArthur. It is a compilation of all of the gospel records in order of the events as best as we can understand.
Anachronisms and Errors: Things that are out of place regarding the time, etc.
The Romans continue to be concerned about Matthew no longer being a tax collector. Taxation was broken up into divisions called publicanies. These divisions were up for sale. If Matthew abandoned his tax post, the Romans would’ve just sold it to somebody else. They probably wouldn’t have given too much thought about Matthew at all.
Ramah is not a biblical character. If Thomas, or any of the other disciples, wanted to marry someone, that would have been arranged with the father.