The Chosen Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 3
S3, E3
In this episode, we find Jesus being rejected as a prophet in his own town. The claim to be a prophet will get Jesus in trouble with his hometown crowd. But there is an important lesson to be learned here...those who welcomed Jesus with open arms also eventually turned on him.
Biblical: What We Find in Scripture
Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in Nazareth as recorded in Luke 4:16-30. This scene is very embellished with additional dialogue. However, his rejection is recorded in this passage. Matthew 13 and Mark 6 also give a brief record of what is presumably the same incident in Nazareth, though some have viewed Luke's record as an earlier incident than the one recorded by Matthew and Mark.
Unbiblical: What Contradicts Scripture
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Extra-biblical: What Is Made Up but Doesn’t Contradict Scripture
The scene immediately after the title sequence where Jesus meets his mother at her house for a meal is fictional. "The box" that Jesus asks for in this scene is not something that is mentioned in the Bible.
When Jesus goes to his room in his mother's house and finds the box he mentioned at dinner, he pulls out what appears to be a bridle. He takes the bridle and says, "Soon." All of this, and his mother's sadness, serves to indicate that Jesus thinks his time to die is drawing near. But these events are not found in the Scriptures.
The character Dinah is not found in the New Testament. The only Dinah in Scripture is in Genesis, the daughter of Jacob.
Jesus' encounter with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, occurs in Nazareth. In the Bible, the only interactions between Jesus and Lazarus happen in Bethany, never Nazareth. The entire conversation depicted here is not found in the pages of the Bible.
The flashback of Jesus, where he recalls himself reading the passage from Isaiah while his father worked, is fictional as well. Of course, it is in this scene that Joseph gives Jesus a "mule's bit and bridle." This is presumably what Jesus will use when he enters into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. There is a bit of an error here, in that Jesus rode into town on a donkey. Mules are considerably larger than donkeys.
The closing scene of this episode where Jesus is speaking with Lazarus and Mary is fictional. It is not recorded in any of the gospels.
Helpful: What We Might Be Helpful To the Watcher
The opening scene where Jesus is shown to be a little boy is helpful. We don't really see Jesus as a boy in the gospels; in fact, there is only one exception. Nonetheless, he experienced humanity in many ways like we do, yet without sin. He grew up, learned to walk, needed to be cared for and fed, etc. (Lk. 2:52; Heb. 4:15)
Thought the scene with Jesus and Mary having a dinner together is fictional, it does display something that we do see in Scripture. Jesus asks his mother about James and Jude. She explains that they stayed away to avoid conflict. James and Jude are Jesus' half-brothers. They are the sons of Mary and Joseph. Though they came to follow him post-resurrection, and the books that bear their names are evidence of that, they did not like Jesus while he was alive. (Jn. 7:1-10)
Again, while not biblical, the scene of Jesus playing a game with some others at the festival in Nazareth is helpful. While we don't get things like this recorded in Scripture, it shouldn't be assumed that Jesus did not know how to enjoy himself and others. Much of the Bible, including the beatitudes, teaches how to be happy.
Though the flashback between Jesus and Joseph isn't in Scripture, it is probably reasonable to assume that Joseph felt as much protection and privilege for caring for Jesus as did Mary. Joseph was visited by an angel and knew exactly who Jesus was. No doubt he felt both extra care and privilege in caring for his "son" during his time on earth.
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.
In the altercation between Jesus and those in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus tells them that if they don't understand that they are spiritually poor, then "I cannot save you." While it is certainly true that Jesus will not save those who do not understand their need of forgiveness and seek that forgiveness from him, there is a huge difference between the words "cannot" and "will not." This is where language becomes very important, especially as we presume to embellish the Scriptures.
Anachronisms and Errors: Things that are out of place regarding the time, etc.
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