Summer
Movie Nights
August
12, 2021
Script
Welcome to our
Thursday movie night.
We love the TV
series called “The Chosen”.
If you’ve missed
any of the previous episodes, go to “thechosen.tv” tomorrow and watch them. Or better yet, download the free app, and you’ll not only be able
to watch all the episodes, you will even be able to
cast it to your smart TV.
For those of you watching this introduction after Thursday’s premiere, you
will need to go to the web or the app to watch this episode.
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.
Moses and
the Bronze Serpent
The story is
found in Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites
are growing weary of wandering in the wilderness and like they usually do, they
start complaining. God sends “fiery
serpents” that bite the people and many grow sick and die. When Moses asks God how to handle the
problem, God
commands Moses to make a serpent out of bronze, put it on a pole. If someone is bit by
a snake and they make the choice to look up at the bronze serpent, they will
live.
(Numbers 21:4–9 NKJV) —4
Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the
Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very
discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this
worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent
fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the
people of Israel died. 7
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We
have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord
and against you; pray to the Lord
that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses
prayed for the people. 8
Then the Lord
said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall
be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses
made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had
bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
There’s a reason the episode starts with this event, see if you can make
the connection as to why.
Nicodemus
meets Jesus
This is the
famous story found in John 3:1-21. Remember
John 3:16?
The meeting
takes place at night.
Perhaps it’s at night to respect Nicodemus’ position.
Perhaps it’s to protect Jesus.
Some of us like
to joke and call this “Nic at night”.
(John 3:1–21 NKJV) —1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know
that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do
unless God is with him.” 3
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus
said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time
into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind
blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it,
but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So
is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these
things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel,
and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak
what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how
will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who
came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the
light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who
does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that
they have been done in God.”
Just a quick word about how this meeting is handled in the episode.
The writers of
the episode have Jesus inviting Nicodemus to follow Him, which John does not
record in his gospel.
The writers have suggested that Nicodemus may not have become a serious
believer but only followed from a distance.
I believe Nicodemus became a believer because of how he is portrayed later
in John’s gospel.
He will defend
Jesus before the Sanhedrin in John 7:50
After Jesus is
crucified Nicodemus works with Joseph of Arimathea to bury the body of Jesus in
John 19:39.
We’ve seen in the book of Acts that there were indeed
a contingent of believers in the early church in Jerusalem who were Pharisees
like Nicodemus.
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 generally 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”
Snake on a
pole
Not to be
confused with snakes on a plane.
When you see
Moses making a serpent of bronze and putting it on a pole, you might start
wondering about the imagery here.
There are two different versions of this image found in secular history.
One is called
the “Caduceus”.
It is sometimes mistakenly associated with medicine. It has two snakes entwined on a staff with a pair of wings on the top.
It is very very old, dating to 4,000 BC or so, long before
Moses.
It was thought
to be the staff of the god Hermes, and is more
accurately associated with “logistics” (think UPS) since Hermes was the
messenger god who flew on winged sandals.
The other image
is the Rod of Asclepius
This is connected to the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with
healing and medicine. This symbol has a
single rod and a single snake.
It seems to
date back to at least 400 BC., perhaps 1000 years after Moses.
Some have suggested that the Greeks stole this from the story of Moses and
the bronze serpent.
Meribah
Moses will mention this briefly. It’s the story of the
Israelites complaining about a lack of water in the wilderness and God tells
Moses to strike the Rock, and water comes out.
The story is in Exodus 17.
Adonai
… is the Hebrew word for “Lord”
Circumcision
for newborn boys was typically
done on the eighth day after birth. This was also when the
child was given a name. Another term for the
ceremony of circumcision is “bris”.
Mezuzah
This is a small
piece of pottery, and on the inside is a piece of parchment with the Shema written
on it. (Hear O Israel … Love the Lord…)
It is usually
nailed to the doorpost of a Jewish house.
The practice
comes from –
(Deuteronomy
6:9 NKJV) You shall write (God’s commandments) them
on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Through out this and following episodes, watch as a Jewish
character passes through a doorway.
You’ll see them touch the mezuzah, sometimes with a kiss to their finger
first.
Lastly, a section we refer to as…
Characters
We hope you are getting familiar with the main characters, but here’s a
quick refresher …
Matthew
… was a Jewish man working as a tax collector for the Romans.
I hope you’ve paid attention to just how much the tax collectors were
hated. By
everyone. Including his own family.
Simon
Peter and his family
… his wife
Eden, brother
Andrew
and his
mother-in-law who has been very sick.
Nicodemus
…is the Pharisee who has been trying to figure out how Mary Magdalene was
delivered from her demons.
He seems to have a sincere heart to know God.
He is married to Zohara
The Romans
Quintus is the
head government official
Gaius who is
Matthew’s body guard.
Mary Magdalene
She is one of Jesus’ earlier followers, having had seven demons cast out of
her by Jesus.
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 itself, 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/comment
Why did tonight’s episode start off with the story of Moses and the bronze
serpent? What’s the connection?
Why did Joshua tell Moses that a snake on a pole was a “pagan” thing?
There were two wealthy men in tonight’s episode that Jesus called to follow
Him.
Who were they and how did they both respond to Jesus’ call?
Does Jesus expect everyone to give up all their money, family, and
possessions to follow Him?
When Jesus asked Matthew to follow Him, how did the disciples respond?
When Simon asked Jesus what He was doing calling Matthew, how did Jesus
respond?
“Get used to different”
Did you see someone kiss the mezuzah?
Who was it? What do you think
that means?
Was Nicodemus a believer/follower of Jesus?
How does salvation come?
Homework (for next week’s episode…)
Jacob’s well
(Genesis 33:18–20
NKJV) —18 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in
the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent
before the city. 19 And he bought the parcel of land,
where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father,
for one hundred pieces of money. 20 Then he erected an altar there and
called it El Elohe Israel.
Matthew’s party
(Luke 5:27–32 NKJV)
—27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi,
sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi
gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax
collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their
scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You
eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those
who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance.”
Healing Simon’s mother-in-law
(Matthew 8:14–17
NKJV) —14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s
mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the
fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought
to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word,
and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our
sicknesses.”
The woman at the well
(John 4:1–38 NKJV)
—1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that
Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though
Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left
Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He
needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria
which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus
therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw
water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His
disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the
woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink
from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus
answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says
to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given
you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You
have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that
living water? 12 Are You greater than our father
Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and
his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will
thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that
I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will
become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman
said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to
draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman
answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is
not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I
perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this
mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one
ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe
Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we
know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour
is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that
Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all
things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” 27 And at this point
His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one
said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman
then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this
be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and
came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said
to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore
the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to
eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,
and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still
four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are
already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and
gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may
rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One
sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which
you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their
labors.”
Matthew’s Party
I don’t want to give away too much
about this, but I’ll just give you the reference. Luke records the event as having taken place
just after Jesus has healed the paralytic that was lowered through the roof
(that was in the last episode).
Write this down because you’ll want
to read it later. The gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record something about a party at Matthew’s
house. Keep in mind, Matthew is also
referred to in some of the gospels as “Levi”.
The story is in Luke 5:27-32.
(Luke 5:27–32 NKJV) —27
After these things He went out and saw a tax
collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow
Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi
gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax
collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees
complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?” 31
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”