I’d like to remind
you that to watch the actual episodes, you are going to need to go to “thechosen.tv” to watch
them.You can watch on a browser, or
better yet, download
the free app, and you can watch on your mobile device, and some Smart TVs now have an
“Angel Studios” app as another way to watch all the episodes for free.
Again, let me repeat, due to new copyright changes, we are not going to be
showing the actual episode here on our YouTube channel.
So you will need to watch the episode either on
the website or one of the apps.
I’d like to
encourage you to be sure to turn on “Closed Captions”.You’ll get a lot more out of the episode if
you do.
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
You may want to jot down some of these verses so you can look them up
later.
John 5:1-13
This is the main passage around which tonight’s episode is written.
After tonight’s episode, you will want to reread this passage.
(John 5:1–13 NKJV) —1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which
is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick
people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an
angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then
whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of
whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight
years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been
in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made
well?”7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the
pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down
before me.”8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And
immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was
cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”11 He
answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and
walk.’ ”12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up
your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had
withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
Exodus 22:20
A rabbi will
call the book of Exodus “Shemot” (it’s the Hebrew
name), and quote…
(Exodus 22:20 NKJV) “He who sacrifices to any
god, except to the Lord only, he
shall be utterly destroyed.
Psalm 69:9
The word or
concept of “zeal” will be woven throughout this episode.
One character will even quote David who wrote:
(Psalm 69:9 NKJV) Because zeal for Your house has
eaten me up,And the
reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Zephaniah
3:17-19
This passage will be woven into our episode in several places.
A group of Jewish men will be quoting:
(Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV) The Lord your God in your midst,The Mighty One, will save;He will
rejoice over you with gladness,He will quiet you with His love,He will
rejoice over you with singing.”
Another key idea woven into the episode is just two verses later:
(Zephaniah 3:19 NKJV) Behold, at that timeI will deal
with all who afflict you;I will save the lame,And gather
those who were driven out;I will appoint them for praise and fameIn every land
where they were put to shame.
You will hear one character say something like this, “…when I see a lame
man stand on two feet, I will know Messiah has come…”
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.
In a way, this is not much different from when a pastor teaches you about the culture and language of the
Bible.There is a lot to be learned when
it comes to the background of what we read in scripture.
But … if your only ideas about Jesus come from watching “The Chosen”, you
are cheating yourself.
As the producers
of “The Chosen” will encourage you, make sure you are reading your Bible, and
especially the gospels, for the best information.
It’s the Bible we build our lives on, not “The Chosen”.
Now, for our section we call …
Terms and
Practices
Zealots
In the 1st
century, there was a political movement among the Jews that sought to
stir up the nation to rebel against the Roman Empire by force.
Their name
comes from the Greek word (ζηλωτὴς) zelotes, meaning someone who has “zeal, passion,
enthusiasm”.
There will be a disciple of Jesus with the word zelotes
attached to his name.
Josephus
referred to this as the “fourth sect” of Jewish philosophy (along with
Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes)
They were based
in the northern Galilee region, and if you visit Israel, you will be able to see
some of the caves they
used up near Mount Arbel.
The Chosen producers even give you a two-second glimpse of a cave, meant to allude to
this.
The zealots
were not fans of the high priests in Jesus’ day.They felt that men like Caiaphas were
sell-outs to the Romans.
A branch of the
Zealots were known as the “Sicarii”, and got their name from the small curved daggers known as sicae
that they would carry under their cloaks.
They used these daggers to attack Romans and Roman sympathizers.
Some have suggested that Paul may
have been a “zealot” because he uses the word to describe himself in:
(Acts 22:3 NKJV) “I am indeed a Jew,
born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel,
taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward
God as you all are today.
(Galatians 1:14 NKJV) And I advanced in
Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more
exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
In addition to this, remember that
before his conversion, Paul was out to have Christians put to death.
Bethesda
In Jerusalem
there was a double pool located just north of Temple Mount.Its name means “House of Mercy”.
The shorter pool had five arches over it with a porch under each arch.
There was a
myth of healing properties connected to this pool, and there was a temple built
there in ancient times to the Roman god of healing, Asclepius.
According to
John’s gospel, a pagan tradition had developed that said that when there was a
“moving” of the water, that an angel would heal the first person into the pool.
You can visit
the site today, though you can’t get down into the pools.
It’s located just outside the
Church of St. Anne, that’s the one with amazing acoustics.
Antonio
Fortress
This is the
Roman fort in Jerusalem, built by Herod the Great and named after Mark Antony.
It was built to
overlook the Temple Mount and to help keep an eye on those rebellious Jews.
There is a line in the episode where someone talks about visiting a family
member living near the Antonio Fortress, and though a
character will claim that no one lives near the Antonio
Fortress, the
Antonio Fortress was actually right down the street
from the Pools of Bethesda, where that family member was.
Jewish Feasts
Each year, all
Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the
“feasts”.
These feasts
were: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
In tonight’s
episode, we’ll see Jesus and His disciples getting ready for Tabernacles.
The feast was
celebrated for seven days, and the Jews had to live outside in “tents” or
“tabernacles” or “booths”.
It was to
remind them of when they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
You can read
more about these feasts in Deuteronomy 16 (as well as mentions in Exodus 23 and
Leviticus 23).
Mikveh
This is a
Jewish bath used as a means to obtain ritual purity.
It really is
the ritual that baptism is built on.
Today you can
see them in the excavations at Qumran, in Jerusalem, and they are still in practice today in many
local synagogues.
Oral Tradition
This term will go by quick so listen carefully.It will be used in relation to the Sabbath Law.
Many Jews believed that the first five books of the Bible were not all that
Moses had received from God.
After all, Moses had spent quite a lot of time on Mount Sinai.
Many of the
things not written down were supposedly handed down by word of mouth from rabbi
to rabbi.
These things
would finally be written down 200 years after Jesus, and
are known today as the Mishna.
The Mishna had an entire volume with 24 chapters dedicated just to the
finer points of the Sabbath.
The Mishna is
not Scripture.
Jesus will often confront the Jews about their “traditions”, and this is
what He’s talking about.
Crucifixion
Several times
you will see the Romans crucifying criminals.
Crucifixion was
meant to be a slow, extremely painful death.It was done
in a public place, and meant to be a warning and
deterrent against serious crimes.
We tend to only think of crucifixion
when we think about Jesus’ death, but crucifixion was a very visible, very
regular part of life under Roman rule.
It was common
for crucifixion to be done outside of a city’s gates, where people would come
and go, and see the crucifixion.
In Jerusalem, it was thought that crucifixion would have been done outside of the
northern, Damascus gate, which seems to be the picture here.
Lastly, a section we refer to as…
Characters
I’m hoping that
by now you are quite familiar with Jesus and the disciples.Tonight we will add
…
Jesse
You’ll watch Jesse grow from a boy who falls out of a tree, to a man who has been crippled for thirty-eight
years.
Simon
… is Jesse’s younger
brother, born after Jesse’s accident.Simon will go a different path than his brother.
Atticus
Aemilius
We are introduced
to a new Roman.
Atticus is
called a CohorteUrbanae.
You might think of him as an undercover police officer, or a secret agent.
Shmuel and
Yanni
These are two Pharisees that we’ve met before.
Shmuel is from
Capernaum, where he knows about Jesus and some of the disciples, and he is not
a fan of Jesus.
They are going to be in Jerusalem at the feast along with all the other
good Jewish men.
To find out more
about the Chosen…
In a moment we will be asking you to go and watch tonight’s episode.How do you do that?
Open your
browser and go to “thechosen.tv” on the web, or download
the free app for
your mobile device.If you are on a SmartTV, you may be able to add an “Angel Studios” app to
watch the episode.
Be sure you are
watching … Season Two, Episode 4 titled “The Perfect Opportunity”
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.Even if you’ve already seen each episode, we are finding it’s so much more fun and edifying to watch with
others.
After you’ve watched the
episode, head back to the church YouTube channel. We will follow up each
episode with a live discussion in our office studio, unpacking and exploring
some of the themes and ideas that came up in the episode.
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.
So here we go.Go and watch the episode, and we’ll see you
back here afterwards for our discussion …
… in about 55-60 minutes…
After Episode Discussion –
An idea woven into the episode is “zeal”.We could translate this as “passion”.We tend to place a lot of value on passion in our relationship with God.
Who in the episode was characterized with “zeal”?
Is zeal always a good thing?
During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus and His disciples have a meal
together.Questions are asked and
answered.The “feasts” were designed for
people (children), to ask questions.
Are there questions you wish you could ask Jesus?
Who answered the questions?It
wasn’t just Jesus.Many of the disciples
answered the questions.
Are there places where you feel free to ask questions?
The episode title was “A Perfect Opportunity” – and it’s probably referring
to the timing of Jesus healing Jesse and Simon’s plan to assassinate the Roman
magistrate.This isn’t something in
Scripture, but it is very characteristic of the way that God works.
Are there times in your life when God orchestrated things to happen at an
amazingly good time?
Matthew asked Jesus why He didn’t wait for thirty minutes for Shabbat to
end to heal Jesse.What did Jesus mean
by “stirring the waters”?
Mikveh – Simon referred to something as a giant “mikveh”.What was he talking about?
Oral Tradition – The Mishnah- are there things we consider “sacred” that
are just “tradition”
Crucifixion – were you surprised to see people being crucified outside
Jerusalem?
Episode Notes –
“The Perfect Opportunity”
Opening Sequence
Little Jesse falls from the tree
All sorts of efforts try to reverse his paralysis
Watching other boys play
Pagan priests try to help
Mother dies in childbirth
Baby Simon is born
Boys growing up, dad remarries
Simon tries to include Jesse in things (like wedding dance)
Watching stars, playing games
Watch Romans beating up Jews
Jesse sees Simon joining zealots
Simon leaves, letter left
5:40 zealot cave
6:00 Jesse laying at Bethesda
Water bubbles, crowds rushing into water
Simon in training, knives, fighting
Simon anointed, given sicarii
Jesse at the pool
10:19 Jesse in assassin practice
Term “zealots” used
Atticus is watching
Rabbis overseeing zealots
Disciples preparing for Tabernacles
In Jerusalem
Three pilgrim holidays
Simon meets with head zealot rabbi
Whom to you serve? El Shaddai
Scriptures: Shemot (Exodus) “whoever sacrifices
to any god other than the Lord alone shall be devoted to destruction”
(Exodus
22:20 NKJV) “He who sacrifices to any god, except to
the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
Simon doesn’t look at rabbi in the eyes
“Carry out your orders or never return”
16:00 Others are quoting from Zephaniah – “The Lord your God in your midst
the mighty one who will save, rejoice over you with gladness…”
(Zephaniah
3:17 NKJV) The Lord
your God in your midst,The Mighty One, will save;He will rejoice over you with gladness,He will
quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Shmuel is in Jerusalem to preach
Yanni – Pharisees
17:00 BirkatHagomel
(prayer) for life threatening situations
Jesse at the pool – where is Bethesda in relation to Antonio Fortress?
Jesse has lost all hope
19:10Outside
Jerusalem gate (looks like Damascus gate) – men are crucified
Simon walks past.See men crucified.
19:40 Atticus – CohorteUrbanae,
a ghost
Simon interviewed at the gate – family at Antonio Fortress
Nathanael & Thomas in the city
They see Shmuel preaching.Matthew
warns them
Shmuel warning against false prophets
Simon meets the Jerusalem cell of zealots
Atticus is watching
They plan the assassination.
The Praetorium (Antonio Fortress)
Building the tabernacle (Nathanael supervises), Simon planning
Jesus celebrating the feast with the disciples
The disciples answer Matthew’s questions
The feast is a leveler of people (Jesus says)
Big James asks how the Gentiles will also celebrate the feast (from
Zechariah)
Everyone has wandered in the wilderness at some point
Matthew wonders how all the people will fit into Jerusalem
John and Simon tell Jesus about Shmuel and his preaching
Jesus thinks it’s a good thing
Jesus wants to go to Jerusalem, bring Matthew
Simon at the Temple, listening to scripture reading
“I will save the lame and gather the outcast” … (Zechariah?,
find this!)
(Zephaniah
3:19 NKJV) Behold, at that timeI will deal
with all who afflict you;I will save the lame,And gather those who were driven out;I will
appoint them for praise and fameIn every land where they were put to
shame.
Simon on the wall, seeing the crucifixions.Knowing it will be him
Jesus walking into Jerusalem
They talk about Bethesda
Pagan, Eshmun, Asclepius
The story about the bubbles, an angel healing
Jesus warns about the checkpoint
He sees the crucifixions.Serious
moment
35:30 Atticus meets with Rufus’ secretary Petronius
Atticus Aemilius (his full name)
Rufus is the magistrate.
Warning about the assassin
Atticus doesn’t want to arrest Simon, he wants to kill him, wants Rome to
“win”
Simon at Bethesda, sees Jesse
They argue.Jesse has been there 25
years. Wonders why Simon hasn’t visited him.
38 years being paralyzed.
They argue scriptures
Jesse brings out Simon’s note
Quotes Psalms (zeal for your house has consumed me)
Zephaniah (Behold, at that time, I will deal with all your oppressors. I
will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into
praise and renown in all the earth”)
(Zephaniah
3:19 NKJV) Behold, at that timeI will deal
with all who afflict you;I will save the lame,And gather those who were driven out;I will
appoint them for praise and fameIn every land where they were put to
shame.
Jesse, when you stand on two feet, I will know Messiah has come …
Jesse joins the other plotters
Jesse takes his sica
45:39 – 50:10 (take clip)
Jesus at Bethesda with Simon, John, Matthew
Simon calls the pool “an oversized mikveh”
Jesus acknowledges Yanni as they pass
Jesus says “shalom” to Jesse
“Do you want to be healed?”
“This pool has nothing for you”
“You only need Me”
John gets out a tablet to write it all down
Jesus looks at Pharisees
Simon reminds him to take his bed – he’s not coming back here
Pharisees rebuke him for carrying bed
The issue is “oral tradition”, not Law of Moses.
51:15 Assassination attempt starts
Simon sees Jesse
Walks away from assassination
Jesse dances
Atticus is watching
Simon thanks Jesus for letting him see that
Matthew asks why Jesus couldn’t have waited 30 minutes for Shabbat to be
over?