Shabbat: The Chosen Season 1, Episode 2

Preface

The Chosen is a work of fiction, based loosely on historical accounts in scripture.  However, It is very important to note that it is not scripture.  Its aim is to explore the life of Jesus and of His disciples. Of Christ we know much because all of scripture is about Him. Of the Apostles we know very little in comparison. Interlaced in the show are subtle scriptural references which I will include to give context and meaning to what you will see in the episode.

In this review, my approach is to examine the characters in light of biblical events and concepts. Therefore, I will not cover the non-biblical characters except when necessary to relate them to the main biblical characters in the show.

Main Biblical Characters

• Mary Magdalene
• Jesus
• Matthew
• Thaddeus 
• James
• Simon Peter
• Nicodemus

Spoiler Alert:  I have included many details from the episode that may spoil the ending.  I have included a pre-show reading list of scriptures that will give you insight into the characters and concepts presented during the show.  Afterword, you can come back and read about what happened in the episode.

Pre-Show Reading List

• Genesis 2:1-3
• Genesis 48:1–22
• Exodus 20:8-11
• Numbers 6:22-27
• Deuteronomy 4:9-10
• Proverbs 31:10-11
• Matthew 23:1–36
• Luke 11:52
• Luke 14:8-11
• John 1:46

Theme: Shabbat (Sabbath) or Day of Rest

These verses are the anchor to the episode. It begins in Genesis Chapter 2.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Genesis 2:1-3, ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11, ESV

It was expanded in Deuteronomy to include:

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 5:15, ESV

Opening Scene from the Ancient Past 948 B.C.

In the opening scene a family is gathered at sunset nearly 1,000 years before the time of Christ, for the Shabbat (sabbath), a custom they were commanded to do 500 years before by the 10 Commandments Moses received from God.

It is interesting that this particular dinner was being held in the village of Chinneroth (also called Gennesar).  It was a small village on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  This is also the area where Jesus’ ministry would begin over a thousand years later.  The scene itself is not in scripture but serves to explain some more about the Jewish culture and customs and the areas we see in the rest of the episode as well as throughout scripture.  They have done a great job putting the viewer in the proper setting.

Right before the commencement of the feast, a man begins by saying “A woman of valour who can find? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, And he has no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” It was customary to recognize the blessing of having a good wife.  We find it in our Bibles in Proverbs:

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

Proverbs 31:10–11, ESV

Right after this blessing, you can see the same woman who was teaching the young boy about the Sabbath offer the following blessing to her son: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.  This is a remembrance to the following story in Genesis about Jacob (Israel) who was about to die.  He was delighted to see his son Joseph, the one who was made second in command over Egypt.  He had with him his children, Ephraim and Manasseh and Jacob blessed them:

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ”

Genesis 48:20, ESV

Jacob blesses Joseph’s children.  In the same sense, you see a father looking at his daughter and he told her “may you be like Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah”.  These were prominent women in the Bible who were blessed.  So the parents blessed their children in this way, desiring that they would be blessed by God to do well.

In the custom, the parents after saying these blessings would continue by offering the blessing given to Aaron often called the Aaronic blessing:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Numbers 6:22-27, ESV

These utterances were to serve as not only blessings but reminders to the people and to the children to remember the things of the past and encourage righteous living to continue the blessings of God through their lives and to pass them on to the future generations.

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’

Deuteronomy 4:9-10, ESV

A.D. 26, City of Capernaum Shabbat Dinner Preparation

The scene shifts forward about 1,000 years and moves about three miles to the east to village of Capernaum.  

It is the preparation day for the Shabbat, the day it begins which was at sundown on Friday.  We see Mary Magdalene in a much different way in this episode.  Instead of  looking tired, dark and in rags, we now see her looking refreshed, renewed and happy.  Dressed in bright cloths.  She was preparing to host Shabbat dinner and while she was out she was picking a flower and then  one of the members of the Sanhedrin saw her, he was amazed and had to look several times to confirm that it was Mary.  The last time he saw her, she was possessed by demons and a terror to the community.  He rushed off to go tell the council about the miracle he had just witnessed.

Matthew’s Investigation of Simon Peter

In a continuation of the previous episode, when Simon and Andrew came up short on their taxes they owed, Simon made a claim that a special deal had been struck with Quintus, the governor of Capernaum.  Matthew appears before Quintus with his guard.  When he questioned the existence of such a deal, Quintus quickly told Matthew that the debt was forgiven and also the debts of his brother Andrew.  However, a character trait given to Matthew in this series, is that he is very exact in his thinking.  Instead of being happy for the two brothers, he has a problem with the figures not adding up.  This isn’t a far stretch since being a tax collector you would need to be very accurate because mistakes you make could cost you your own money or even your life. 

He tells the governor that he doesn’t find Simon reliable and questions the wisdom of the deal the governor had made.  This particular exchange does two things.  One, it sets Matthew up for a special assignment to begin to account for where Simon Peter is going and what he is doing.  Which leads ultimately to Matthew being a historian of sorts when he begins to follow Jesus.  The second, is it established a character flaw in Simon Peter, who later denies that he knows Christ when Jesus was arrested just prior to his crusafixian.

Bar Scene with Simon Peter

In this scene we see Simon interacting with a group of men at the bar who were also fishermen.  They were the ones he was going to betray as a part of the deal with Quintus, the governor of Capernaum.  This and the scene with Matthew investigating Simon’s claims are very cleaver ways the writers of the show further develop Simon’s character flaws.

Investigation About Mary’s Miracle

When we first see Nicodemus in this episode, he is consulting writings about exorcism trying to find an explanation of why he was unable to cast out the demons that were in Mary.  While he was reading, he was interrupted by his close student Shmuel.  He said to Nicodemus that his presence was requested by the Judges of the Sanhedrin.  Nicodemus’s response was funny, he said “what happened”.  Of course it was because of the man at the market who saw Mary and his testimony to the Judges that was the cause for the request. 

When Nicodemus appeared before the counsel, he asked what the charges were.  Their response was that there were no charges but that they were considering a formal inquiry because of the Miracle that was Mary Magdalene. When he heard the testimony of the man who witnessed Mary in the market place, Nicodemus face looked very confused. The leader of the counsel said that this was an unparalleled revelation.  They said to Nicodemus “that you yourself said that the depth of the demonic appression was beyond human aid”. At hearing this, Nicodemus asked to personally investigate the matter before the inquiry was made public. They granted his request but said to be quick about it because “news of this kind…grows legs.”  

Later, Nicodemus runs into Mary in the market place.  Perplexed at her appearance He told her, “I just want to understand how it happed.”  Her reply was, “that makes two of us”.  He then asked her, “how long after my visit did you feel the change?”  Her response, “it…wasn’t anything you did.  It was someone else”.  At that he looked even more confused. 

She started to cry because she recounted that the person who healed her called her Mary, her real name.  He asked her, “who did this?”.  She said, “I do not know but even if I did I could not tell you because his time for people to know had not yet come.”  Perplexed further, he said to Mary “He performs miracles and seeks no credit.?  

You can see why Nicodemus, a Pharisee would say this.  Jesus describes this in Matthew saying:

They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Matthew 23:5-7, ESV

She then told him the most impactful words of the episode.  “I don’t understand it myself, but I was one way, and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him”.  Afterword, you could see a tear come down his face as he looked at her and then they parted ways.  You can see in the face of Nicodemus that he believed but was also confused.  His heart was being softened and prepared for his eventual meeting with Jesus that occurs later in the series.

Shabbat Dinner outside Matthew’s Parents House

In a previous exchange while Matthew was at his tax collection post, he appeared to have just been attacked.  His guard told him that he should leave his post and get cleaned up.  Matthew responded that he has a job to do.  The guard told Matthew his father must have raised him right, but Matthew reveals that his father and he do not talk.  His father had disowned him for being a tax collector.  When his guard asked how he cannot have a relationship with his father, Matthew said that his father says “he has no son”.  This is a very sad revelation but is most likely not far from the truth.  Since being a tax collector, one would have been seen as traitor to your own kind.  With that in mind, it is easy to see that though Matthew was quite wealthy in comparison to the rest of his fellow Hebrews, he would have potentially lived a vary solitary life with few if any friends.

Later in the night during Shabbat dinner, you see Matthew approach a house outside with a pot.  This was his Shabbat dinner, outside eating with a dog.  You can see that he wishes to be near his family but knows that that he isn’t welcome.

Shabbat Dinner with Nicodemus as an Honored Guest

Just before sitting down for Shabbat dinner, he was looking upon a rug.  He was telling his wife that 200 years prior they were ruled by the Greek king Titus the IV who suppressed the Jew’s religious observances.  It wasn’t until the Maccabee’s revolted that their observance were restored.  He then said to his wife, “so who is responsible for our suppression of our worship now?  He asks.  Answering his own question, he says “I fear I know the answer”.  It was the Pharisees who were suppressing true worship.  He was beginning to understand this.

Woe to you lawyers (pharisees) ! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

Luke 11:52, ESV, Parenthesis added for clarification

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.

Matthew 23:13, ESV

As he was greeting guests at the door, one guest expressed gratitude and then tells Nicodemus “Honored rabbi, we are humbled and honored by your presence at Capurnum.  You make us whole.”  Nicodemus rebukes him sternly by saying “only God can do that”.  This was one of the great problems with the Pharisees.  They were concerned about image and status as is demonstrated here by the guest’s statement.  Honoring men, instead of God.

Then immediately after being rebuked, the guest turned to his wife and said “try to get a seat near the head of the table”.  So what is the problem with that statement?  Well lets look again at what Jesus tells us about the Pharisees.

…and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Matthew 23:5-7, ESV

This was just another very subtle but very cleaver way that the writers of The Chosen show how corrupt and self serving the Pharisees really were.  Now lets look at what Jesus said about where we aught to sit as guests.

When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 14:8-11, ESV

Shabbat Dinner at Mary’s House

Guests begin to show up at Mary’s house for Shabbat dinner.  The guests begin to enter the house.  First was a man named Barnaby who was accompanied by a blind woman.  Then James and Thaddeus.  They all sat down and asked why there was an extra seat at the table.  She said that it was for Elijah.  This was a person in the biblical story from long ago, and the Hebrew people had a custom to reserve a seat in his remembrance.  But she had confused the passover meal, where this was the custom, with the Shabbat meal where it wasn’t.  But her novice error meant there was now place for her final guest. Right before saying the blessing over dinner, a knock at the door was heard.  She opened the door and it was Jesus.  She was surprised.  He took the seat that was reserved.  

While seated she was trying to introduce the final guest but she did not know his name.  He said “I am Jesus of Nazareth.  To that Barnaby (a fictional character) says something that is worth noting here.  He cracks a joke when Jesus introduces himself as coming from Nazareth.  He said “well apparently something good can come from Nazareth!” This is an outtake that actually occurs later in the ministry of Christ when Phillip, a disciple, shows Nathanial that he has found the Christ.  Nathanial’s response was nearly the same as we see in the character Barnaby.  Nathanial said:

…Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

John 1:46, ESV

Another interesting point regarding the show here is a slogan that is used in marketing.  It is the phrase Come and See.  It is an invitation to come and see what the show and all the hype about is really about.  That phrase came right after the statement Nathanial said about Jesus coming form Nazareth.  Phillip respond to him and said

…Come and See.

John 1:46, ESV

She then began to read the following blessing:  “Now the heavens and the earth were completed and all their hosts.  And God completed on the seventh day the work that He did.  And God abstained on the seventh day from all the work He did.  And God blessed the seventh day and he hallowed it.  From there He abstained from all the work that God created to do.  Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.  You have lovingly and willingly given us your Shabbat (rest) as an inheritance and memory of creation.  Because this is the first day of our holy assemblies in memory of the exodus from Egypt.  Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe who brings forth the bread from the earth.  Amen”

Such as beautiful thing to say to give thanks to God.

Shalom

This is a term that we hear throughout the episode when people are greeting one another.  Shalom means peace.  Shabbat means rest.  So when used together during the Sabbath, they were wishing people to have a “peaceful Sabbath” or peaceful day of rest.

Where to Watch The Chosen

• Watch on your Apple device here.
• Watch on your Android device here.