The Chosen Word on the Week 22nd July 2023.
It was Tony from The Shed who drew my attention to “this film on the life of Jesus”. He added the thought that I would like it. Sad to say the icon for The Chosen languished on my smartphone untouched till it disappeared from sight with the purchase of a new phone.
It has come to prominence during the current Hollywood strike. It is being produced by one of the smaller independent film companies which have been permitted to continue filming, without considering to be breaking the current strike. It is presently working on season four out of a total of seven.
Apparently this is the first time there has been an episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be “binge-watched” like shows on streaming platforms such as Netflix. Dallas Jenkins producer, director and co-writer intends to produce a unique portrayal of Jesus by crafting a story arc that focuses more on the people who encountered Jesus and viewing him through their eyes.
He appears to be succeeding in reaching a wide audience as the first two seasons have been viewed by more than 400 million people. It has a global appeal as shown by its subtitles in 62 different languages.
The finance has been raised by crowd-funding. This has been promoted by a passionate fan base who pay to be “extras” in the various biblical scenes. The result has been the most successful crowd-funding series ever. 74,346 people raised $10 million for the first season and $45 million for the second! It is the most successful crowd-funding series to date.
Dallas Jenkins is an evangelical Christian. His main concern is to make Jesus Christ available to people who obtain their information via image rather than the printed word. The film title ‘The Chosen’ refers to Christ (Isaiah 42 verse 1).
Even Jesus’ enemies knew He was the ‘Chosen One’ (St Luke 23 verse 35). The Apostle Peter writing to believers refers to them as ‘a chosen race’ (1 Peter 2 verse 9).
So we have the Chosen One, Jesus, calling out those of faith ‘a chosen people’. The hymn writer puts it well: – Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.