I'm a passionate person. When I love something, I want other people to love it, too. And when that thing happens to be edifying, God-glorifying, and life-changing, all the more.
That's right, y'all. I'm talking about The Chosen.
If you haven't heard of this award-winning, world-sweeping, ground-breaking, totally FREE multi-season T.V. show about the life of Christ and his disciples, well, now you have. And if you have heard about it, and have decided not to watch it for whatever reason—no time, no interest, whatever—I'm asking you to hear me out. Don't go anywhere; just read on.
My family discovered The Chosen by recommendation, probably similar to the recommendations you've received from fans in your life. Some of us were more into it than others; I, for one, probably only agreed because I would have felt guilty turning my nose up at a Jesus show. But, come on, you know you don't blame me. Christian media is often sub-par—that's practically a fact of life. Isn't that half the reason you haven't watched it yet?
But here's the thing. We sat down to watch the first episode. And then we watched another. And another.
Season 2 just wrapped up yesterday, and we're full-blown fans, y'all. All in.
So what's the deal? Why should you invest your time (and literally only your time—the show is absolutely free right here and on The Chosen app) in another Jesus program when it's been done so many times before?
1. You haven't seen Jesus this way before.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the show depicts Jesus in an untruthful or millennial or culturally relevant way just for entertainment value. Quite the opposite. I truly feel that this show's depiction of Jesus is more accurate than the picture I've been following all my life, a version of Jesus that is right there in Scripture for us to find and fall in love with, but that somehow, we still miss.
2. You're not the only one with doubts.
Do you know how many times I've heard The Chosen superfans start testimonies with, "Yeah, I heard about it and thought naaaaaaah. Can anything good come out of Christian media?" Seriously, people. If we think we're unique in our stodgy standards, we should think again. Thousands of viewers started out in the exact same place as you and I and they're singing a different song now—doesn't that mean it's worth a try?
3. The show points viewers to the Word.
Anything that takes the place of the Bible in our lives is bad news, and guess what? The creators of The Chosen would be the first to agree. That is why everything in the show, from the show, with the show and for the show is designed to help viewers dive deeper into Jesus through the Word. The creators are transparent about their own shortcomings and their desire to be as true to the Gospel message as possible, and the evidence of that desire is in the countless testimonials of people whose lives have been changed through God and the Word, by way of The Chosen pointing them to both.
4. Y'all. It's actually really good.
Take every expectation you have of Christian media and set a blowtorch to it. This is different. The whole backbone of this show is "different." It's crowd-funded—that's right, that many people think it's worth backing. It's spreading like wildfire, faster than anyone expected. It's got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The writing is excellent. The acting is killer. The costumes, sets, and music are epic. There's suspense. Intrigue. Humour. Action. Drama. A dash of romance. And it's not just a play-by-play of the Bible. Far from it. This is different. To quote The Chosen Jesus, "Get used to different."
5. It's not about the show.
People love this show, but that's whatever—the important thing is that people are falling more and more in love with JESUS because of what God is doing through this show. Atheists are converting. Youths are giving their lives to Christ. Lost souls, wandering souls, believers stuck in the shallow end or drowning in the deep end are finding their rescue in Christ because of how God is working in this project, and we can be a part of that. We can help keep the momentum going—the momentum that is sweeping thousands of viewers into the arms of Christ and the truth of his Word.
Oh, I could go on. But I'll leave you with this. And I hope if you haven't clicked the link yet, you'll ask yourself why not and click it now. I can't promise you'll love it, but speaking both statistically and from personal experience, I can be pretty darn sure. I had to quash my inhibitions and #comeandsee, and I hope you'll do the same . . . while being brave enough and humble enough to be changed by what you find.