By Ben McEachenThursday 30 Mar 2023#FollowingTheChosenPodcastsReading Time: 2 minutes
The best and worst of The Chosen comes together in one episode that is all about Jesus.
Physician, Heal Yourself in Season 3 has Jesus’ publicly declaring his Messiah status.
Also, it features Jesus being a klutz at some sort of old-school hacky sack.
Yes, Jesus plays sports. And badly.
In this episode of #FollowingThe Chosen, TV/film reviewers and Chosen fans Laura Bennett and Ben McEachen tuck into Physician, Heal Yourself.
As they strive to discuss anything and everything that flows from each episode of Season 3, Laura and Ben’s chat here revolves a notable blend of celebrated and cringeworthy.
Jesus was terrible at hacky sack?
Before The Chosen does a fine job of depicting a pivotal hometown confrontation (read Luke 4 as preparation), Physician, Heal Yourself has Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) attending a festival in his childhood neighbourhood.
Ben was distracted by some of the on-screen embellishments upon the gospel accounts, from Jesus’ “hipster funky” backpack to calling his friend Lazarus “Laz”, or sheep called Cain and Abel.
Such character or story choices eroded Ben’s investment, even though he agrees with Laura that The Chosen does not head into the dangerous territory of trying to replace the Bible.
“I totally feel, as I hope people do when they watch it, that those behind [the show] are trying to be faithful to what the Bible says.
“They want us to go back to God’s Word; they don’t want to replace it.”
Still, Ben felt the decision to show Jesus playing sport – some form of 1st Century hacky sack or catch – was too much.
A needless nod to Jesus being a man who did stuff like everybody else, including being not so great at sport.
Laura didn’t mind the “fumbling” Jesus sequence, seeing it as another playful Chosen display of his divinity and humanity.
The main reason for being more supportive of it, though, was the festival sequence helped set up the sting of what happens next when Jesus addresses his hometown’s synagogue.
Hometown outrage at Jesus’ claims
The second half of Physician, Heal Yourself exhibits the best of The Chosen.
That’s something Ben and Laura had the same read on.
Invited to speak at Nazareth’s synagogue, Jesus humbly declares that Isaiah prophecy is about him.
Across several powerful scenes, the outrage rises as rabbis and childhood friends decry Jesus for blasphemy.
“It’s like jab, jab, jab,” said Laura about watching Jesus share the truth of Scripture with those in his hometown unable to fathom his claims.
“You feel the weight of it.
“For Jesus to say ‘I am the Messiah’ and [The Chosen team] to touch on that Scripture, I feel like they were using all the everyday ‘hanging out at the church picnic’ stuff to highlight how strange it would have been for him to suddenly say… I’m here to save the world.”
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