“ First and foremost this is a discussion. If you have something that is not covered in our discussion outline that is on your heart/mind then bring it up. Enrich your brothers and gather in the name of Jesus the Christ/Messiah.
Each week we ask that you watch an episode of “The Chosen” from season 1.
Along with watching an episode we will go over a set of questions that will be included along with the Weekly Newsletter that comes from the interactive study book designed around this series.
Watch for the newsletter. It will contains links to access the material for week.
“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘For your sake I send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.’”
– Isaiah 43:14–15
Format Change. Rather than just listing the questions below. We will provide a link to a PDF copy of each chapter each week. This link will only be available for a week. We ask that you consider purchasing the study guide to support the author. [No longer available]
Discussion by Scene
The pawn broker states to the man that walked in after the woman, no knowing he was a leper, he states, “Just because I run a charity doesn’t mean I have to buy rocks from every old lady.”
While this scene is not written in the word and a pawn shop (pawn broking) would likely not have existed in this scene. The narrative effectively portrays how people would have felt about leprosy back in the day. A disease that was untreatable. The links I have provided should always be fact checked. I do wonder if the broker was not Jewish but possible meant to represented as another culture. When he learn that the man is a leper he says, “Hades and Styx” which could be construed as believing in the Roman or Greek culture and gods. And yet, the broker states that the leper is forbidden to be within four cubits of another.
Standing next to the Tax collector booth a chest of money, jewels, gold, etc. Meant to pay off Simon and his brother’s debt.
Gaius’ retort to Matthew to act like a normal person under normal circumstances appears to clearly point out that Matthew is a bit different than most, almost like he might have high-functioning autism. It also shows that Gaius is clearly bothered by the fact that he is oddly alone in the middle of a people that despise Romans and would prefer all of Rome to fall.
The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin, including Shmuel. He discuss his interview with John the Baptist.
Nicodemus states that he does not believe John to be a threat to the people of Israel. He then calls out Shmuel in front of the Sanhedrin for validating John’s ministry through his arrest. Shmuel’s character is interesting.
In the series we see a young pharisee eager to learn and confident in his understanding of Torah and the Laws.
Shmuel’s responds to Nicodemus’ rebuke by declaring that John has committed sins by calling the teacher’s of Israel a brood of vipers. He then states that the Law of Moses says, “that you shall not hate your brother within your heart.”
Shmuel appears to be stating that John hates his brother’s. But by Shmuel’s actions which imprisoned John, he has committed hypocrisy but he does not appear to see it.
It is good to have passion for what is good but is easy to allow the passion within to guide us before we seek God thinking that this passion that has brought us an elevated sense of justice must be good. “No one is good but God!”
The initial discussion of why Jesus chose them as his disciples has them constantly asking why.
Another thought might be why would people who were in a trade suddenly follow a homeless man who performs miracles. God doesn’t ask us to follow him blindly. So a better question is, culturally, would this change how a person responds to following, dropping all they have, to follow a homeless teacher who was declared the “Lamb who takes away the sins of man” and is healing people. Would you be able to, truthfully, drop everything you are doing to following a traveling teacher without hesitation?
Culturally, we must remember that after the age of 10, if a (male) student showed promise of intellect and possibly understanding in Torah in his village/town he had a high chance of being offered an apprenticeship with a Rabbi. This position was highly coveted within the culture of Israel. If you were (a male) that was not chosen by a Rabbi early on…you would continue to apprentice under your father or a close family member.
This scene is mildly humorous as Matthew attempts to explain to Quintus the miracle. While Quintus thinks Matthew was taken for a ruse/tricked.
When something miraculous happens, those that see it will stand in awe while those that have heard of it might attempt to rationalize and frame the retelling as a misinterpretation.
This scene is excellent. If we are to reflect, it could be taken as the difference between believing and receiving the truth of Jesus the Messiah vs. hearing the truth and attempting to make it conform to our own ideas. To make it bend to the truth we define.
Gaius’ is promoted to Prime ordains, likely a foreshadowing for later. Not sure what I mean, read the Gospels.
An Ethiopian woman from Egypt is picking flowers. Jesus walks by her with his disciples. Mary of Magdala speaks to the woman. Jesus joins in on the conversation and speaks to her in Egyptian. A leper than appears and his follows become aggressive; however, Jesus tells them stay
“Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” – Read Matthew 8.
This scene is beautiful but if you were a non-believer you might ask yourself, how is it that the leper knew who Jesus was in the middle of nowhere? Now they give context by stating that a servant at the wedding told the leper what Jesus had done. This might make up for the knowledge, but at this time it was discourage for people to interact with lepers because there was a belief that it could be easily caught. Now you might think, this was a servant that had said something, but a servant would less likely come in contact with the leper out of fear that they might catch it or be found out by their master that they had come in contact with a leper. Again, I’m splitting hairs. We could infer that the leper was covered and had come across the servants as they were telling people of the miracle.
What I truly love about his scene is Jesus’ response, “I am willing!” Then Jesus touches the man and says, “be cleansed.” And the man is healed.
Watch this short video on Holiness and cleansing: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/holiness/
Then Jesus tells the man to not tell anyone what has happened but to, “Go and show himself to the priest. Let them inspect you and make the proper offering in the temple as Moses commanded and go on your way.” After this happens, the Ethiopian woman drops her flowers in astonishment, looks upwards towards the heavens (the sky) and heads out the scene with intent.
The Ethiopian woman is there to show a miracle can spread like a wild fire. What amazes me is that she comes from Ethiopia and was raised in Egypt, implying that she more than likely doesn’t follow the God of Israel. However, she still understands that something miraculous just occurred and she looks upwards and around wondering where to look for such a feat.
When Salome, James and John’s mother, see’s Jesus she tells the young men to listen and do what ever Jesus tells them to.
Simon is back at his house watching over his mother in-law, Eden’s mother, who is ill in bed. We then get to see tension between Simon and Matthew as Matthew tries to find out if he was deceived on what he has seen.
Having Mary traveling with group provides a good visual dynamic with the women in the scene and the culture. In comparison, when we read the Gospels we mostly get a male dynamic and focus.
In Zebedee’s house Jesus sits down with his followers and others come in. Then they ask him the parable of the fish. Which incorporates the angels separating the good from the evil. Jesus pivots his answer to the wedding they just came back from.
He brings up a parable about servants waiting on their master to return. Asking where the servants should wait and how long they should. In answer to the woman who asked the question about the parable of fish and angels, Jesus is clear that only God, the master of the house, will know when it is time to return and sift the good from the evil. So, each person should be like the servants, awake and ready for his return. – Read Luke 12:35 and Mark 13:32
While this happening, Simon is becoming weary of all the people forming. Thinking he has to protect Jesus.
I feel as though his character reflects most men. We are designed to solve problems even when we aren’t needed. Simon’s characters also helps us to understand how much they truly did not understand who Jesus was and what he was doing.
Nicodemus is attempting to show Shmuel through scripture that John the Baptist might be the one Isaiah when referring to when he claimed, “A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of Adonai (the Lord); make straight in the desert a highway for out God.”
The discussion between the two continue as Shmuel states that John has appropriated Isaiah’s words, by taking a spiritual description of God in heaven and applying it to John’s physical successor on earth.” John said, “After me comes He who is lighter than I, the strap of whose sandals I am unworthy to stoop down and untie.” – Shmuel’s response is that, God has no body. God cannot take human form. To say so is blasphemy.
Let’s think about this for a moment. Shmuel’s reaction likely comes from a common belief that God stays in heaven. To look upon God would mean death because no man is worthy or clean enough. However, if we look back in the Torah, the Law of Moses, the first five books,… we often see men talking to Adonai in the form of man. There are multiple examples in Genesis 18, the Lord shows up with two other men talks directly to Abraham. Now a common argument is that it was not God but angels sent by God. For angels can somehow go from spiritual to physical but God their creator cannot.
To continue their discussion as they go back and forth, Shmuel states, “It frightens me that I can no longer predict your rulings.” Nicodemus responds, “And fear along ensure we remain ignorant.”
When we learn a trade, a skill, or set of knowledge, we can often predict future responses and outcomes. Not 100% of the time but often we’ve encountered enough of the same concept to know the direction is will take. This is not bad but … if we are stuck in our ways, it can limit our ability to grow, to see change, to look to God and admit our ignorance.
Jesus is telling the people that God does not see some as less than others. That all must repent or parish.
This is radical in their society. It’s even radical today. Saying that no matter who you are, whether you are rich or poor, good or evil, all must repent. So no matter how good you think you might be, you must still repent (turn from your ways, turn a 180 and walk towards the good and away from the bad) or you will perish. Jesus is pointing out that the way we define good is not good enough for God.
I enjoy when Shula asks about prayer.
Worried that she might not pray correctly because the Rabbi’s prayers are so eloquent. Jesus’ response is, that big words don’t matter, a lot of that is for show anyway. Jesus points out,… it’s better to go into your room and shut the door, and pray to your father who sees you in secret. The same is true for giving to the needy. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give generous without thinking about it. Do not do it for show. Don’t even congratulate yourself in private. Give in humility. – Read Matthew 6
As Jesus begins to tell another parable about prayer. We are introduced again the Ethiopian woman. This time she has friends with her and one is paralyzed from the waist down. She sees Mary, Simon, and Andrew in the crowd and tells them she saw what Jesus did to the leper. Their response is that they’re trying to keep knowledge of the healing under wraps for now. The Ethiopian woman begs them to help her friend. Her friend asks Mary, “What if you were me.” The Ethiopian woman follows by saying, “Wouldn’t you want your friends to make a scene?” Mary responds with sympathy by stating, “I was you, once.”
The woman looks as Mary and asks, “what about the roof?” Mary looks and motions for them to follow her. As Jesus continues his teaching Nicodemus, Shmuel, and other pharisee’s show up to see who is teaching.
Now we must remember that it was the role of the pharisees to educate the people. To make sure they did not go astray and follow other cultures or religions. So when a common man shows up preaching and his words are drawing a crowd this is can be seen as a red flag to the teachers of Israel as someone possibly leading the people astray. – Read Deuteronomy 18:14-21
Up on the roof, the Ethiopian woman calls to Jesus and says, “I know what you did to the leper. My friend has been paralyzed since childhood. He has no hope but you. Please… do for him what You did for the leper.” They break open the roof which was originally a small hole for lowering a basket of food.
Again, the words… “If you are willing, Rabbi, I know You can do this.” While they lower the paralytic, the crowd begins to shout, “Heal him.”
This might be why Jesus told the leper not to tell anyone about his healing because people are more interested in seeing a healing than learning the truth of God. It’s like the people were engaged in the truth Jesus was sharing and then the next minute they flipped to wanting to see only a miracle.
As the paralytic man is set down. Shmuel shows up and asks by whose authority does Jesus preach from.
In their culture, preaching was like a trade. What Shmuel is asking, is who was your teacher? What right do you have to teach the people?
Jesus looks a Shmuel and then up to the woman and says, “Your faith is beautiful.” Jesus then looks at the paralytic and says, “Son, take heart, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus turns to Shmuel and says, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sings but God alone? Right? But I ask you— which is easy to say? Your sings are forgiven, or Rise up and walk? It’s easy to say anything, no? But… to show you, and so that you may know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Shmuel’s eyes widen. Jesus leans down to the paralytic man and says, “I say to you my son, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
The man got up, hugged Jesus, thanked him, and walked out the door full of joy.
Shmuel was is so much shock that he did not know how to respond. Then his self-worth / selfishness kicked in and he called for the roman guards declaring Jesus a threat to the public peace.
Even though this happened, I like that for mere seconds between Jesus calling himself the son of man and healing the paralytic Shmuel looked like he was on the edge of believing. But like with all things we must make a choice to repent and follow.
This scene further cements Nicodemus’ desire to understand what he’s heard from testaments to what he has just witnessed to be that of the coming Messiah Israel has been waiting for.
His request to see the teacher, Jesus, prompts him to ask Mary as they are fleeing from the Roman guards if he can meet with the teacher in secret.
Mary agrees. The scene doesn’t end just yet. Matthew climbs down from the top of the residence he was sitting on with the kids. Abigail, one of the kids, asks him if he is lost. Matthew responds, “Yes, I am.” As he wanders, he sees Jesus and his disciples in an alley way. Jesus looks back at Matthew with discernment and slight gleam of joy. Matthew’s lip quivers with anticipation and curiosity. Jesus and his disciples leave. Matthew continues looking on with curiosity like he was expecting something but nothing happened. Like a child yearning to be apart of game while on the side lines, not knowing that all he has to do is step forward.
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