S1, E5
While there are some helpful things in this episode, we encounter the first things in the series that I believe are dangerous.
Biblical: What We Find in Scripture
Though dramatized, when Jesus was about 12 years old, he stayed behind from his family in Jerusalem. When Mary and Joseph found him, he was found in the temple. Lk. 2:41-51
There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee where Jesus’ mother, Mary, was working. When the wine ran out, Jesus turned the water into wine. The wine that Jesus made was superior to the wine that had been on hand. Jn. 2:1-11
Unbiblical: What Contradicts Scripture
None
Extra-biblical: What Is Made Up but Doesn’t Contradict Scripture
Any details about Mary knowing the family of the wedding in Cana of Galilee?
There is no biblical record of Nicodemus meeting with John the Baptist; this was addressed in the last episode’s post.
Peter’s interaction with his wife is fictional. In fact, the only reason we know Peter had a wife is because Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Besides that, Scripture records no conversations of anyone with Peter’s wife. Also, any conversation about Peter’s wedding day is fictional.
There is nothing said in the gospels about the calling of Thomas. His first appearance in the gospels occurs in the list of the 12 disciples who Jesus called.
Anything of the events at the wedding are imagined, besides knowing that Mary was likely in charge of the wedding, that the wine ran out, that she instructed Jesus to do something about it, and that after a small push back on his mother, Jesus turns water into wine.
Helpful: What We Might Be Helpful To the Watcher
Peter’s character was passionate in the fictional conversation with his wife. This seems to reflect the character of Peter, who seems to have done nothing half-heartedly. I think the resolve of Peter to follow Jesus in this scene is helpful.
Jesus did not call the brightest and the best, and those whom he called were not students.
Weddings were multi-day celebrations, as indicated in this episode.
Dangerous: Things That Have Been Added That Might Be Dangerous to Accept as Fact
This is the first time I have found something dangerous in the chosen. After Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple, Joseph says to Jesus, “What are you going to do for your mother for this transgression…” While the context seems to be in jest, the word transgression is used in the Bible as a synonym for sin. This could lead to the erroneous, even heretical belief, that Jesus had somehow sinned.
We are introduced to a character named Ramah. As the series develops, this character will play an immensely large role for a character that is entirely fictional. There will also be some big problems in future seasons with events surrounding this character.
Anachronisms and errors—things that are out of place regarding the time, etc.
This is a bit nitpicky, but for a series that seems to like using Hebrew words, such as Imah for mother and Abba for father, Jesus often gets called Jesus. We know him as Jesus, which is the transliteration of his Hebrew name, Yehoshuah (often pronounced as the shortened Yeshua). This name is most often translated into English as Joshua. The Greek, transliterated to English, is Iesus, from which we get Jesus. It is just fine that the series calls him Jesus, but his parents would have known him as Joshua.
I think there are some likely errors surrounding the wedding at Cana of Galilee, a description used because there were two Canas. There are some things that are true as well. I am not putting these observations in “unbiblical” because the Bible is not specific on these matters. It is likely that Mary, Jesus’ mother, was at the wedding because she was working. We do not know when Joseph died, but by the time we move from Jesus’ childhood to his ministry, Joseph is no longer in the scene. Jesus had called disciples at that time, but it is likely that he may have been there to help his mother who was working at the wedding.