My Thoughts
“The Chosen” is a TV series about the life of Jesus Christ.
It is fiction, not factual, so not biblical in the purest sense of the word. It
is inspired by Scripture, but it takes many liberties with the Scriptures and
with the biblical characters, too, particularly with the character of Jesus,
the Christ, the Messiah, the only begotten Son of the living God who is God
himself.
I have been hesitant to watch any of the show for several
reasons. The first time I heard about it, I was told by someone who barely knew
me that I would not like it. I took her word for it. Also, I am not fond of TV
dramas about the life of Jesus Christ because they usually do take liberties
with the Scriptures, and they don’t usually present Jesus in a biblical light.
Then, I watched a short clip of the series, and I read some
reviews on it, which then made me even more certain that I did not want to
watch it. But then an opportunity arose where I was asked to join my husband to
watch it with him, for someone had recommended to him that he watch it. And so
I decided that if I am to know what is being done on there I have to see it.
So, tonight I watched the 5th and 6th
episodes of season one of the series. And I took notes.
Sarcasm and Winking
The first thing that jumped out at me was the
characterization of John the Baptist. He was in prison, and he was being
visited by Nicodemus, and they were having a discussion. John had an evil look
in his eyes, he was sarcastic with Nicodemus, and he winked his eye at him
along with the sarcasm.
Now, I know that sarcasm and/or irony have been used in
Scripture to drive home a point, but not in a deceptive way, not if it was used
by someone with a godly character. The intention was never to deceive, but to
get a message across. I am not presently coming up with any good examples of
this, but I know that irony has been used in Scripture for effect. So, I am not
saying that John the Baptist never used sarcasm for that purpose.
But sarcasm coupled with the winking of the eye is what got
my attention. So, I did a Bible search on the word “wink,” and this is what I
found:
“Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause” (Ps 35:19).
“A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord” (Prov 6:12-14).
“Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin” (Prov 10:10).
“Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things; he who purses his lips brings evil to pass” (Prov 16:30).
The winking of the eye was considered a signal for mischief.
It had to do with secretly and cunningly designing mischief against others. It
was also indicative of someone who was a malicious tattler who filled out his
lying tale with winks and signs. And it also meant to tear or to cut asunder,
to bite, as an expression of malice or mischief-making. [Source: biblehub.com]
Wink – In our day and time the winking of the eye is usually
a sign that one is not serious, that he is joking, or it could be that he is
flirting with you. Winking can convey hidden intentions, so it is hard
sometimes to discern the meaning or the intention behind the wink. So, it can
be deceptive and/or confusing, at the least.
Now, it was not just the character of John the Baptist who
winked at someone. Then the character of Jesus, when he was talking with Simon
Peter (I think) about his calling, joked with him about the calling and then
winked at him. Throughout the episodes that I watched, Jesus was often presented
as a jokester who kidded with people and who winked the eye.
But Jesus Christ, God the Son, is not going to joke with us,
especially not about things as serious as our callings to follow him. He is not
going to wink the eye, because that is a symbol that he is not serious, that he
is not meaning what he is saying, that he is lying, that he is being deceptive,
that he is being mischievous, and/or that he has hidden intentions.
I am not saying that God and the Son of God have no sense of
humor. I believe they do, but it is not in a way that makes jokes about serious
matters or that has hidden intentions or that is deceptive in any way. The
series brought Jesus down to our level and they made him too human to the point
to where they stripped him of his holiness and purity and glory.
And that is my main objection to “The Chosen,” on a
spiritual level, based upon the two episodes that I watched. We can’t make
Jesus like us. He is not like us. He is holy and righteous and altogether pure,
and he never did anything wrong. He never deceived anyone. We can’t make him
our buddy who hangs out with the people of the world and who does the same
things they do and who has the same conversations and who jokes and teases as
though he is not serious. We need to take God/Jesus seriously!
What About Us?
And we need to guard against joking and teasing, too. It has
become so commonplace today among all people, so it is very easy to get caught
up in it if we are not careful. I am around people who joke and tease and who “wink
the eye” so it is hard not to join in, I admit. But we need to let our Yes be
Yes and our No be No, so there should be no question as to our meaning.
Now, I am not saying we need to go around all serious all
the time and that we can’t laugh or enjoy good humor. God gave us the ability
to laugh, but we need to be careful what we laugh at or about, and we need to
guard against saying things we don’t mean, even in jest. Humor that makes fun
of the Scriptures or that paints God or godly people in ways that are not godly
should not be something we laugh at, either. Sacrilege is not funny.
Also, if you are watching this TV series, please do so
prayerfully and watchfully, and please compare what you are seeing and hearing
against the Scriptures so that you don’t end up following a false Jesus who is
not the Jesus of the Scriptures. Don’t let this TV series be your Bible and don’t
let it interpret the Scriptures for you, either.
Test everything you see, read, and hear against the Word of
God and in prayer so that you don’t end up believing lies and rejecting the
truth, and so that you don’t end up taking on the character of the world and
not the character of Jesus Christ.
Satan is very subtle. He mixes his lies in with truth so
that the lies appear as truth and so that people will mistake the lies as
truth. So, be in the Scriptures daily. Read them in context, for false
teachings stem from Scriptures taught out of context. And pray much for
discernment of the Holy Spirit to separate the lies from the truth. And then
walk in the truth.
Full
Release
An
Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
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