Summer
Movie Nights
July
29, 2021
Script
Welcome to our
Thursday movie night.
We love the TV
series called “The Chosen”.
If you haven’t seen last week’s episode, go to “thechosen.tv” tomorrow and watch it. Or better yet, download the free app, and you’ll even be able to
cast it to your smart TV.
If you’re watching this introduction after Thursday’s premiere, you will
need to do this to watch this episode as well.
It’s our hope that this little introduction we give each week will give you
a little bit of a boost so that you can better enjoy the series.
First, a segment we call…
In the Scriptures…
There are two main passages that this episode will flesh out for us.
Luke 2:41-50
… is the story of a twelve
year old Jesus getting separated from His parents at Passover, and how they
finally find Him in the Temple.
(Luke 2:41–50 NKJV) —41
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the
Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem
according to the custom of the feast. 43
When they had finished the days, as they returned,
the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not
know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s
journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when
they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it
was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all
who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when
they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You
done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He
said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My
Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
John 2:1-11
…will be the main part of the episode.
We call this
story the “Wedding at Cana” where Jesus has a special wedding present for the
couple.
(John 2:1–11 NKJV) —1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the
mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when
they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said
to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet
come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there
were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification
of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots
with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some
out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made
wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the
water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he
said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests
have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This
beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and
His disciples believed in Him.
I used to include a line in my wedding ceremonies that comes from this
story where I would say,
“It was at a wedding
that Jesus chose to do His first miracle, turning something ordinary like
water, into something special, like …” well you’ll see.
This isn’t necessarily the chronologically first miracle Jesus ever performed, but
the first public miracle.
As with the
previous episodes, some of this episode will introduce things with which we
have no record of Jesus or the disciples saying or doing.
But the
principles that are being laid out are very consistent with the character of
Jesus as well as the cultural background of how people lived in the first
century.
As the producers
of “The Chosen” will encourage you, make sure you are reading your Bible, and
especially the gospels, for the best information.
Now, for our section we call …
Terms and
Practices
“Eema”
means “mother”, “Abba” means “father”
Jerusalem AD
8
… is where the first scene starts.
Most scholars
place the actual birth of Jesus around 4 BC.
In AD 8, Jesus
would be 12 years old, and has probably already had His “bar mitzvah”, making
Him a “son of the covenant”, an adult Jew, able to participate in synagogue and
Temple activities.
Cana
…is a village in the Galilee region.
It is about
3 miles from Nazareth and 17
miles from Capernaum.
While Capernaum
is about 700 feet BELOW sea level, Cana and Nazareth are both around 1100 feet ABOVE sea level – so
the trip from Capernaum to Cana involves some serious uphill walking.
Elijah and
Elisha
(or, “El-eesha”)
Simon will
mention how Elijah called his disciple Elisha to follow him.
It’s an early example of a teacher calling a disciple
The story is
found in 1Kings 19:19-21
(1 Kings 19:19–21 NKJV) —19
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son
of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw
his mantle on him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let
me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha
turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled
their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they
ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
You are going to get hints of how newly called disciples don’t really know
what they’re doing. They’re trying to
figure it all out.
Prayer
If you don’t pay attention, you might miss it. We usually think of prayer
from our perspective – we ask God for things.
But the director
gives us a little different perspective on prayer, from God’s point of view.
Note how they
take a shot of Mary’s face as she’s asking Jesus something – it’s how Jesus looks at us when we are
praying.
You’ll see this twice in the episode.
Weddings
We are going to get a great picture of what a Jewish wedding might have
looked like back in the first century.
Singing
There’s a song
being sung during one of the dances, the lyrics talk about the “voice of the
bridegroom and the voice of the bride” and the text comes from Jeremiah 33:10-11, which speaks of a
time of joy after God once again restores the nation of Judah after their
captivity.
(Jeremiah 33:10–11 NKJV) —10
“Thus says the Lord:
‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, “It is
desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets
of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without
beast, 11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the Lord of
hosts, For the Lord
is good, For His mercy endures
forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the
house of the Lord. For I will
cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.
Dancing
There’s a mention of “Miriam’s
dance”
When Israel made it through the Red Sea, Moses’ sister Miriam led the women
in “dances”.
This
is found in Exodus 15:20-21
(Exodus 15:20–21 NKJV) —20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with
timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them: “Sing to
the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has
thrown into the sea!”
The
word for “dances” in Hebrew means to dance in a circle. You’ll see a lot of this kind of dancing.
Master of
the Banquet
This would be either
a head servant, or the man hired to run all the events at a Jewish wedding.
Chuppah (hoopa)
This is a canopy
at the center of a Jewish wedding.
The frame was often made with wood timbers donated by the groom’s family.
The couple and the rabbi stand under it during the ceremony.
It represents
the new home the newlyweds are building.
The Hebrew word is found in:
(Joel 2:16 NKJV) Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble
the elders, Gather the children
and nursing babes; Let the
bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the
bride from her dressing room.
(Psalm 19:5 NKJV) Which is like a
bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Wine
Real wine.
You’ll hear
about what kinds of spices are in a special wine – archaeologists tell us these
are the actual things used in wine back to this time.
It’s a symbol
of joy and blessing
Watch for the different ways “wine” shows up in the episode
Extra credit
homework:
We are called
to be “witnesses” for Jesus. See if you
can identify those who are giving a “witness” about Jesus.
Pay attention
to who Jesus chooses to spend time with at the wedding.
Lastly, a section we refer to as…
Characters
There are a few new characters, and some familiar ones as well.
Joseph &
Mary
We get a peek at them when Jesus was just 12 years old and Joseph was still
alive.
Nicodemus
& John the Baptizer
Last week we
saw the Pharisee teacher Nicodemus visiting John the Baptist in prison.
Nicodemus is trying to figure out how Mary Magdalene was delivered from her
demons.
John is Jesus’ cousin, and his ministry is all about preparing the nation
to meet the Messiah, Jesus.
John will quote
Isaiah 40:3, as the foundation of his ministry.
(Isaiah 40:3 NKJV) The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the
way of the Lord…
John will also quote
Proverbs 30:4, the oracle or words of “Agur, the son of Jakeh”
(Proverbs 30:4 NKJV) Who has ascended into
heaven, or descended? Who has
gathered the wind in His fists? Who has
bound the waters in a garment? Who has
established all the ends of the earth? What is
His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?
Simon Peter
& Eden
Remember that Jesus has just helped Simon with his huge tax debt with a
miracle – filling Simon’s boat with fish.
Simon has to
explain to his wife Eden what has happened and what he wants to do in response.
Thomas and
Ramah
They are not a couple but are just business partners.
Thomas is often
labeled as “Doubting Thomas”.
You’ll see his personality come out a bit as one who questions things.
He’s serving as
the head caterer, preparing the food.
Ramah is a
young woman who is a “vintner”, in charge of supplying the wine for the
wedding.
Rafi and Dinah
… are friends
of Mary. They know her from Nazareth
where their kids grew up together.
They are
parents of the groom, living in Cana.
The other
disciples
We’ve already
met Andrew, Simon’s brother.
We’ve also met Big
James and John, the two sons of Zebedee.
We’ve also met Young
James, Thaddeus, and Mary Magdalene
We encourage you to
To find out more
about the Chosen…
Open your
browser and go to “thechosen.tv” on the web, or download the free app for your mobile device. You’ll be able to watch the episodes over and
over from there.
We also encourage
you to give your financial support to this project. We do.
We’d like to
also encourage you to think about hosting a “watch” party each week. Even if you’ve already seen each episode, we
are finding it’s so much more fun and edifying to watch with others.
At the end of
the episode, be sure to head back to the Calvary Fullerton YouTube channel to watch the
live broadcast as we discuss what we will have just watched. We’ll start as the credits are rolling.
If you have any
questions or comments you’d like to share during our post-episode discussion, just text the
church office at 714-879-3314
We will do our best to address as many of the comments as we can.
As per our agreement
with The Chosen, our YouTube presentation of the episode will only be up for
the live premiere. After that, if you want to rewatch the episode, you will
need to go to the Chosen website or use their app.
Now hold on tight, because
here we go …
At the end…
When the credits are over, be sure to watch the live broadcast from our
YouTube channel as we discuss what we’ve just watched…
After Discussion/comments
Prayer – Did you notice the look on Mary’s face, and how Jesus saw her when
she was asking Him for something?
Have you ever wondered if God really “sees” you when you are praying? He both sees and hears.
Who does Jesus spend time with at the wedding?
He spends a bit of time with the children, whom the adults are ignoring
After discussion – compare the in-laws and how they wanted to be treated at
the wedding with how Jesus acted.
Jesus says something like, “the focus of the wedding should be on the
couple, not on Me”
We saw in the “Sabbath Dinner” episode (1.2) how the Pharisees jockeyed for
the best seats at Nicodemus’ dinner.
We are called to be “witnesses” about Jesus.
Who had a “witness” about who Jesus was?
John the Baptist to Nicodemus
Simon to Eden
The servants/Banquet Master
What can you learn about witnessing from their examples?
What does God think about weddings/marriage?
How did the writers portray Simon and Eden’s marriage? Good?
Bad?
What does Jesus’ presence at the wedding hint at?
Did you notice the phrase, “if not now, when?”
Young Jesus said it to His mother at the beginning.
Mary says it to Jesus at the wedding.
Shame vs. honor
Homework
Next week if absolutely filled with things in the New Testament, but there
are two main stories. You can find these stories in several of the gospels, but
for now look these up:
Healing the Leper (Mark 1:40-44)
(Mark 1:40–44 NKJV) —40
Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling
down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Then
Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him,
and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the
leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43
And He strictly warned him and sent him away at
once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your
way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things
which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Healing the paralytic (Luke 5:17-26)
(Luke 5:17–26 NKJV) —17
Now it happened on a certain day, as He was
teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had
come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the
Lord was present to heal them. 18
Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was
paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when
they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they
went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling
into the midst before Jesus. 20
When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your
sins are forgiven you.” 21
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason,
saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God
alone?” 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to
them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are
forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man
has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I
say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately
he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his
own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled
with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”