Turning to Netflix, Finding Jesus

If it weren’t for his compassionate nature, it would be a tad intimidating to watch a series about the life of Jesus with my husband. There we sit next to one another — the two of us, and also the huge difference between his knowledge of the Bible and mine, almost a third individual. If the couch were a see-saw, I’d be way up there, dangling my legs, and he’d be solidly grounded — or wait, maybe the other way around. In any case, there’s an imbalance that wasn’t in the TV room when we watched all those suspenseful British detective series or laughed our way through Derry Girls and Never Have I Ever.

Fortunately, all through the first season of The Chosen, Rob has been a sympathetic viewing companion, providing helpful program notes only when I’ve chosen to ask for a little elucidation.

We’ve now watched eight episodes, a good time to take a break and reflect.

In the Beginning

Maybe you know about this crowd-funded phenomenon, but if not, here’s the official website where you can find out more (and, of course, order “merch” if you want): https://watch.thechosen.tv/ I first learned about it a couple of years ago, from a good friend here who is also a clergy spouse. Members of their Episcopal church had been watching and discussing the show already, finding it surprisingly absorbing, especially for the portrayal of a handful of particular characters: Nicodemus (Pharisee and a Jewish leader) Mary Magdalene (a woman cured of demons, becomes a first disciple), Simon Peter (who witnesses the miraculous catch of fish and then must leave his wife to follow Jesus), and Matthew (disliked tax collector who works for the Romans but leaves his post to become a disciple), to name just a few. Dallas Jenkins, the creator and director, is an evangelical Christian.

Apparently, in interviews, maybe partly to get ahead of the inevitable complaints about accuracy, Jenkins said that much of what is depicted in the series is not taken directly from the Gospels but needed to be at least “plausible,” based on what we all can read there.The Book definitely came first.

What with all those excellent British detective series, though — especially Slow Horses, with Gary Oldman playing the physically gross but also really smart as well as fundamentally morally sound Jackson Lamb — we took our time arriving at The Chosen.

The first couple of episodes were reasonably satisfying. I brushed up on my understanding of the early torment suffered by Mary Magdalene and how Jesus healed her; the importance of Shabbat; and the fact that the Romans (bald men in red capes, here) were the occupying power, insinuating themselves every which way in everyone’s lives, especially by taking their money.

Getting into the heart of the season, I began to notice my reactions to what I was seeing, and I also began formulating more questions, too. These often mixed together, and again, I was grateful to have my husband nearby, so that I wouldn’t do all this bubbling up by my lonesome. Come to think of it, this is one of the main ways that marriage, in my book anyway, earns its keep: you get to see if your ideas, sometimes maybe even just the things that dart through your brain, have any buoyancy.

My first real response didn’t involve any question; it was a visceral connection upon seeing the creature who played Matthew’s dog. He looked so much like a young version of our recently departed Rocky, pictured here before his head went white even without snow, that I almost leapt up from the couch.

Matthew is too preoccupied with his onerous duties to pay much attention to his dog, who follows him around, but when the animal– not sure if s/he has a name — was on the screen, he was all I saw. The all-black creature with tall ears reminded me (as if I ever forget) how much I miss the very real one who used to lie right near us through all the other series we’ve watched. Each time he appeared, I gasped. Rob, naturally, understood; he just kept his cool better.

Do You Believe In Miracles?

My second distinct response was not sudden but evolving, and more about the nature of the Messiah, as we continued to watch Jesus gradually reveal his powers. For instance, when he turned the water into wine at the wedding in Cana, getting the hosts out of a stressful situation. (John 2:1-11).

Or when he asked the woman of Samaria, who was in the habit of coming to the well by herself in the heat of the day, for a drink, proceeding to let her know that he knew her whole story and that he was prepared to show people a kind of water that could satisfy their thirst permanently. (John 4: 5-30)

Perhaps oddly, through each depiction of a miracle that we watched (loved how those fish piled up in the boat), it wasn’t so much the fact — let’s go with that word — of the miracle itself that had me fascinated, it was how Jesus’s face looked. While appearing in every other way human, and strikingly broad-shouldered too, I started noticing that he was also consistently certain about pretty much everything; nary a doubt cast a cloud across his expression. While not one bit pompous or self-satisfied, he was nevertheless always sure of what he needed to do, and what his followers needed to do, too. I know some self-confident people, for sure, but this guy really outdid them all, somehow maintaining a kind of humility at the same time.

When I mentioned this observation (I thought it was pretty astute) to Rob, he smiled and said one word:

“Exousia.”

“Huh?” I asked.

“That’s a Greek word, meaning ‘authority.'”

Well of course, I thought. Good ol’ divinity school — comes in handy at times like these. Once I read up on the term, learning that it often describes a particular kind of moral authority, I realized that the people who made this show definitely must have coached the actor playing Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) to exude exousia, because that’s what I was seeing. And he was just getting started, too.

What with the Romans wanting to maintain their authority, though, there’s bound to be trouble ahead. Don’t worry, I won’t spill the beans. I’ll just be grateful that I get to watch Season Two with the same guy who has been there when I needed him. Maybe after Easter, we’ll resume.

Which series — on Netflix or some other service you know how to get — have you most enjoyed? If you have a partner, have you liked the same shows or has there been some slight divergence in your tastes? Thanks for commenting if you can.