(RNS) — When providing a theological assessment for “The Chosen,” it is essential to keep in mind what the show is and what it is not. The show is not Scripture. This is why the first episode begins with a disclaimer, reminding the audience of this distinction and encouraging them to read the Gospels.
Additionally, it is important to know what sort of show “The Chosen” aims to be. It is not a historical documentary but a historical drama. Its primary purpose is not to educate, but to entertain and engage the audience while remaining true to the source material.
“The Chosen” has accumulated hundreds of millions of views across various platforms and has had an enthusiastic fan base since its release in 2017. I serve the creators of the show along with my colleagues by reviewing the content for theological accuracy. Both the subject matter and the source material for the show are held sacred by all of the experts who provide consultation for “The Chosen,” myself included. No one wants to see Jesus, the Gospels, or the Christian faith misrepresented.
That’s partly a matter of faith and, for me, academic integrity. It’s also part of our mission at Come and See — to introduce the world to the authentic Jesus. “The Chosen” plays a crucial role in that project, which means the Jesus depicted in the series is of paramount importance.
In trying to bring theological accuracy to this show, it’s helpful to think of the content in two categories. First, there is the content that has been drawn directly from the biblical texts. Second, there is the content that has been added in service of the story.
In the first category are the characters, dialogues and activities recorded in the four Gospels. Here the process of review is more straightforward because we can compare the original telling of the stories with their depiction in the show. In some cases, we see that minor alterations have been made or that dialogues have been expanded in ways that remain true to the substance of the story. In other cases, particularly when it comes to the words of Jesus, the writers often make almost no changes, other than putting Jesus’ words into English, of course. They choose to let the Jesus in the show deliver the teaching he speaks in the Gospels almost verbatim.
In the second category are all of the characters, dialogues and activities not recorded for us in the Gospels. A fair amount of the show’s content falls into this category. Here we think of new characters, like Ramah, Barnaby, Shula, Quintus and Shmuel. Additionally, unnamed characters are given names, like Eden (Simon’s wife) or Gaius (the Centurion), and other named characters are given backstories and new dialogues to flesh out their personalities.
These elements of the show are fiction, and because of that, they have drawn the most attention and criticism.
Poster for “The Chosen” Season 4. (Image courtesy The Chosen)
Douglas Huffman, another expert consultant for the scripts, reminds us that “The Chosen” is often trying to hold three things together in balance: biblical fidelity, historical plausibility and character relatability.
We can take an example from the second episode of season three to illustrate this process. Jesus tells the disciples he is sending them out in pairs to proclaim the message of the kingdom and perform miracles (Matt. 10:1–15). Afterward, when he leaves Simon’s home, Jesus is approached by “Little James,” who is astonished at the idea that Jesus has given him the power to heal others. In particular, Little James struggles to reconcile this with his disability. “I just find that difficult to imagine with my condition, which you haven’t healed.” What follows is a deeply moving pastoral conversation between Jesus and his disciple about the problem of pain, how it relates to the goodness of God and what it means to share a close relationship with God in suffering.
Again, none of this is taken from the Gospels. Little James’ disability and the entire conversation are purely the creation of the writers. So how might we assess the theological accuracy of this scene?
First, we consider the question of biblical fidelity. The question of why God heals some and not others is an important question for many Christians. Jesus does not address this question directly in the Gospels, but it is still important to ensure that the truths being considered are aligned with biblical testimony. So when we listen to Jesus’ response to Little James, we can ask, “Is this teaching on God, suffering and healing in keeping with the testimony of Scripture on this topic?” Let’s see.
Little James is honest about his struggle. He begins by confronting Jesus directly with the fact that Jesus has the power to heal him but hasn’t. Later, he quotes Psalm 139:14, “I know how easy it is to say the song of David, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. But it doesn’t make this any easier.” This kind of raw, emotive honesty in the face of suffering is also reflected in the biblical genre of lament, which brings together trust in the goodness of the sovereign God alongside the discontentment we all feel at the way things are in a world marked by sin, suffering and injustice.
Jesus makes clear that sometimes our suffering draws us into a deeper fellowship and union with God. The Apostle Paul often rejoices in his suffering for this reason (Rom. 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 1:5; Phil. 3:10). Suffering unites him to Christ, the Suffering Servant, and what God did for Jesus he will do for all who trust in him, raise them from death and give them a glorified body (Phil. 3:21).
Jesus reassures James that his healing is coming, and in the meantime, his endurance through suffering now is nothing compared to the reward that awaits him in the world to come, a sentiment echoed by Paul in Romans 8:18. All of these truths, and more, are engaged during the exchange between Little James and Jesus.
Second, we consider historical plausibility. The Gospels provide very little information about most of the 12 disciples of Jesus. So we can ask, is it possible that one of Jesus’ disciples had a disability, and is it possible they might have had a conversation like this one? Sure it is. The proof of this is in the fact that Jesus, who never changes, continues to call people with disabilities to follow him today, and he continues to use them to proclaim the Gospel in powerful ways. Whether this sort of thing is historically plausible and not just possible is more difficult to say. However, we do see in the Gospels that Jesus does not shy away from interacting with social outcasts and even with just ordinary people with ordinary challenges.
Third, we consider character relatability. In this case, the conversation between Little James and Jesus contributes to the character’s relatability in a powerful way. Little James expresses the honest and challenging questions we might bring to God in prayer or to a pastor as we seek guidance for our lives. And when Jesus speaks his love over Little James and embraces him, we are reminded he does the same to us.
In the case of Little James’ conversation with Jesus, even though the entire segment is fictitious, we can see how it handles important theological topics well without compromising or undermining the teaching of the Bible. If we had time, we could multiply examples from the show just like this one.
Biblical fidelity, historical accuracy and character relatability are not ends in themselves but a means for helping the creative team behind “The Chosen” to create a show that will have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of millions.
And this work, in all its complexity and difficulty, serves one simple purpose: to introduce the world to Jesus.
Jesse Stone. Photo courtesy of the Come and See Foundation
Jesse Stone is theologian in residence at OneHope and completed his Ph.D. in New Testament studies at the University of St. Andrews in 2023 under the supervision of Prof. N.T. Wright. In addition to his work as chair of the Global Theological Review Board for Come and See, Stone serves as a visiting professor of Biblical Theology and Missions at Southeastern University. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
