The Chosen -- A Scriptural Evaluation

The Chosen has captured the imagination of millions. It is skillfully produced, emotionally compelling, and presents a dramatized account of the earthly ministry of Jesus. Many viewers have found themselves deeply moved by its portrayal of Jesus and His disciples. Some have even been encouraged to read the Bible as a result.

Yet precisely because the series is so compelling, a serious spiritual question must be asked: Which Jesus are we coming to know?

That is not a trivial question. It is an eternal question.

The Jesus who saves sinners is not the Jesus created by a screenwriter's imagination. He is the Jesus revealed by the Holy Spirit in the inspired Word of God. Scripture alone gives us the authoritative revelation of His person, His words, His works, His character, His death, and His saving purpose.

The producers of The Chosen acknowledge that they have added fictional material to the biblical account. Conversations are imagined. Personal histories are expanded. Relationships are developed. Scenes are constructed which Scripture does not record. Emotions, motives, humor, personality traits, and private interactions are supplied by human writers.

That should make every Christian extremely cautious.

There is a profound spiritual danger in becoming emotionally attached to a fictionalized Jesus.

A viewer may begin by knowing that a particular conversation is fictional. But after seeing it several times, hearing the actor speak those words, watching his facial expressions, and experiencing the emotional power of the scene, something subtle can happen. The imagined scene begins to feel like history. The invented words begin to sound like the words of Jesus. The actor's mannerisms become our mental picture of Jesus. The screenwriter's interpretation of His personality, becomes our understanding of His personality.

And eventually, a person may become deeply familiar with a Jesus whom Scripture never actually revealed.

That is a terrifying possibility.

We can become emotionally familiar with a fictional Jesus, while remaining strangers to the real Jesus.

A person can know the actor's face and never behold the glory of the Son of God. He can remember hundreds of scenes from a television series and scarcely remember the words of Scripture. He can be moved to tears by a dramatic portrayal of the crucifixion, and yet remain unmoved by the true meaning of the cross. He can feel that Jesus is near because he has become accustomed to seeing a particular actor portray Him, while never having been brought by the Holy Spirit to repentance and saving faith in the real Savior.

Emotion is not conversion.
Familiarity is not faith.
Tears are not regeneration.
And feeling close to Jesus is not the same thing as knowing Jesus.

The apostle Paul warned of "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11:4). The danger is not merely atheism or open rejection of Christ. There is also the danger of embracing a Christ who has been altered by human imagination.

God has already given us His perfect revelation of Jesus. "These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31). Notice the divine method: these things are written.

God did not tell us to construct a mental picture of Jesus from our imagination. He gave us four inspired Gospel accounts. He did not leave us to wonder what Jesus was like. He revealed Him through His Word.

And the Jesus of Scripture is far more glorious than any actor could portray.

He is not merely gentle. He is holy.
He is not merely compassionate. He is the Judge of all the earth.
He is not merely a friend of sinners. He is the sovereign Lord before whom every sinner will one day stand.
He did not come merely to make broken people feel loved. He came to save His people from their sins.
He did not come merely to offer inspirational teaching. He came to lay down His life as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of His people.
He rose victorious over death, ascended into heaven, and now reigns in glory.
This is the Jesus we desperately need.

Therefore, the Christian should never allow The Chosen to become a substitute for the Gospels. If watched at all, it should be watched with great discernment and with the Bible open. Every invented scene must remain in its proper category: human imagination, not divine revelation.

The Christian's spiritual life must never be built upon what a screenwriter imagined Jesus saying.
It must be built upon what Jesus actually said.

Do not confuse the warmth of a television portrayal, with the witness of the Holy Spirit.

Do not confuse emotional attachment to an actor, with love for Jesus.

Do not confuse familiarity with a fictional story, with knowledge of the Savior.

And above all, do not confuse admiration for Jesus, with saving faith in Jesus.

There is a dreadful possibility of being fascinated with Jesus, and yet remaining unsaved.

The Pharisees saw Him.
The crowds followed Him.
Judas walked with Him.
Many heard His teaching.
Yet not all who were outwardly near Jesus belonged to Him.

The great question is not, "Do I like Jesus?"
The great question is not even, "Do I feel close to Jesus?"
The question is: Do I know the real Jesus revealed in Scripture, and have I fled to Him as the only Savior of my guilty soul?

The Jesus of Scripture calls sinners to repentance and faith. He exposes our depravity and guilt, strips away our self-righteousness, and drives us away from every refuge except Himself. He does not merely comfort us in our sins. He saves us from our sins.

Therefore, let us be exceedingly careful.

The Bible must judge The Chosen -- The Chosen must never judge the Bible.

We do not need Hollywood to make Jesus real.

We need the Holy Spirit to make us see the glory of the Jesus who is already revealed in Scripture.

And when the eyes of a sinner are truly opened by the Spirit, he will discover that the real Jesus is infinitely more glorious than the Jesus any actor could ever portray.

He is the eternal Son.
He is the spotless Lamb.
He is the substitute for guilty sinners.
He is the risen Lord.
He is the King of kings.
He is the Savior of His people.

And blessed is the sinner who knows Him -- not because he has watched a fictional portrayal of Him, but because God has revealed His Son to him through His Word and by His Spirit.
(The above was AI generated.)