S1, E7
I was hopeful after season 1, episode 6 that we would see more of the content being drawn out of scripture and less from speculation. This isn’t the case in this episode, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t helpful things here. There are some things in this episode that can help us understand the background of the times of Jesus and the disciples.
Biblical- What We Find in Scripture
In John 3, Nicodemus confesses that no one can do the miracles that Jesus unless he is sent by God. They spoke of the need to be born again by the Spirit, and Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was talking about. They also spoke of how Nicodemus didn’t understand. However, much of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus is fictional. Rather than trying to go line by line and point out what is in Scripture and what isn’t, I would strongly encourage you to go read John 3:1-21.
Matthew 9:9-13 records that Jesus called Matthew while he was in the tax booth. The interaction with Gaius is fictional, but when Jesus called Matthew from his tax booth, Matthew left to follow Jesus.
Unbiblical- What Contradicts Scripture
Nothing
Extra-biblical: What Is Made Up but Doesn’t Contradict Scripture
While I feel like a broken record, the Roman soldiers who are working with and protecting Matthew are fictional characters. Therefore, any interaction they have with any Roman leaders in this episode is fictional.
Nicodemus plays such a small role in Scripture that it is surprising that he takes such a prominent role in The Chosen. In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus to ask him about the kingdom by night. Nicodemus appears in the gospel 2 more times. Once in John 7, where the people are divided about who Jesus is, and Nicodemus warns the people not to judge a man without a hearing. And once in John 19, where he is bringing spices to the body of Jesus for burial, indicating that Nicodemus most likely had become a follower of Jesus. Any other scenes with Nicodemus in them, either in this episode or any other, are entirely fictional.
Jesus’ conversation with Thaddeus, John, and Mary Magdalene that occurred while packing up camp is fictional.
All of the preparations of Jesus and the disciples for Jesus to meet with Nicodemus are fictional. John 3 records that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, but no other details are recorded except for some of their conversation. The fact that Nicodemus came by night is likely indicative of a secret meeting. Nicodemus probably came to meet with Jesus by night, most likely in secrecy.
Jesus and Nicodemus speak of the healing of the paralytic being lowered through the roof. It is conjecture that Nicodemus was present for this miracle. Clearly from John 3, Nicodemus had seen Jesus perform miracles, but we do not know what miracles he saw. There is a lot of this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus that is found in Scripture, but there is much that is not. I would encourage the reader to go and read John 3:1-21. Jesus’ invitation of Nicodemus to leave being a Pharisee to follow him is fictional. Clearly at some point, Nicodemus chose to follow Jesus, but not in a physical sense. Nicodemus followed Jesus in that he chose to trust him.
The confession of Nicodemus that he is standing on holy ground is not insignificant. There is nothing to indicate that Nicodemus chose to follow Jesus that night. To say that he was standing on holy ground is to say that Jesus is God. There is no indication in John 3 that this was the time that Nicodemus believed.
Helpful: What We Might Be Helpful To the Watcher
Quintus not knowing where or what Nazareth was is helpful only in the sense that Nazareth was a small and obscure place of little significance.
The portrayal of Jesus to be happy to do the will of the Father and spread the message of salvation is not biblical, but it does represent the obedience and contentment of Jesus, as found in the gospels, well.
Jesus going off to a place alone to pray was a frequent occurrence of his. While this one is fictional, it was a common practice of Jesus in the gospels.
The scene of where Matthew goes to the house of his parents and meets with his mother is also fictional, but this scene does represent well the disdain of the Jewish people for those Jews who had gone to work as tax collectors, also known as publicans. Matthew’s purchase into the publicani, making him a tax collector, would have ostracized him from his own community.
Dangerous: Things That Have Been Added That Might Be Dangerous to Accept as Fact
In the opening scene between Moses and Joshua, the doubt and faithlessness of Joshua to God’s plan is very out of line with what we see of Joshua in Scripture. Joshua, who is Moses’ successor, is clearly a man of deep faith and obedience to God. While some of the details are scriptural, and some of the details are fictional, the way Joshua is presented in this opening scene seems out of character with the Joshua that we meet in the opening books of the Bible.
Anachronisms and Errors: Things that are out of place regarding the time, etc.
Nothing significant