The Rock On Which It Is Built
The Chosen (Season One, Episode Four)
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing some thoughts and reflection questions for each episode of the TV show, The Chosen. I hope you’ll join me for this spiritual journey and pray that you’ll be open to hear what God might be wanting to communicate to you through this show! :)
OH SIMON…
What I love about Simon is that he is so dang relatable! Here is someone who is just trying to support his family and pay off his debt, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. And yet, even when he finds himself trapped in a tricky situation, he still tries to do the right thing. We see this right at the beginning of the episode when he leads Roman soldiers to find fishermen who have been secretly fishing on Shabbat and not paying taxes on their catches. After having a last minute change of heart, he leads the boats away from his friends’ fishing boats and right into a sandbar. The Romans, suspecting betrayal, remind Simon to do what he promised to do (Did you catch the little nod to John 18:10 when the Roman soldier sliced Simon’s ear as a warning?) Feeling remorseful, Simon comes clean about the deal to his fellow fishermen in order to warn them. He tries to make a new deal with them, but they don’t find the deal fair or just. Once again, Simon is trapped and still desperate to pay off his debts. Meanwhile, Quintus, the Roman leader of the region, having been warned in advance by Matthew that Simon should not be trusted, assigns Matthew to follow Simon and record his every movement. This detail will be important in later episodes!!
Simon returns home to find his wife, Eden, speaking with her brothers. They slowly reveal to him that their mother (Simon’s mother in law) is sick and will need to live with Eden and Simon. Simon, knowing how much he has on his plate and how his family is now in danger, says that they cannot take care of her right now. Eden argues that it is her responsibility as a daughter to take care of her mother. Simon finally comes clean with his wife about all that is going on, and Eden challenges him by asking “where is your faith?” She calls him out, saying that he has been trying to take care of everything all by himself and has completely forgotten about God. This short scene between Eden and Simon really challenged me because there have been several moments in my life when I’ve tried to handle everything by myself and have not asked God for help. I’ve turned to God as a last resort instead of seeking His help and guidance from the very beginning. This encouraged me to never forget to have faith and trust God. However, this scene is also a reminder that “having faith” is not such as easy thing to do. After all, this isn’t the first time that Simon’s faith and trust will be questioned (Matthew 14:31). Having faith and trusting God is easier said than done, and yet, SO important and necessary.
There are usually (although not always) three parts to a moment of conversion: before, during, and after OR pre-encounter, encounter, and post-encounter. Let’s explore a bit what these look like in Simon’s life during this episode.
PRE-ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
Simon has, pretty much, hit rock bottom. He made a deal with the Romans that he cannot follow through on because he knows it isn’t right to betray his friends. He has put his family in danger. He has a huge debt to pay off. His wife is upset with him since he has been trying to handle everything on his own. His mother in law is sick and is now living with them. AND he is told by Matthew that he has to pay off the debt by the morning or else turn himself in to the authorities. Meanwhile, Andrew enthusiastically tells Simon that he has found the Messiah, but Simon is under too much pressure and too scared to care or to believe him. Simon heads to the shore to prepare for a long night of fishing in a desperate, last chance effort to pay off his debt. After several attempts, he catches nothing, and he begins to yell at God, complaining about the many times God has been “silent” during moments of suffering throughout history. Thanks to Eden’s love and concern for her husband’s well-being, Andrew, Zebedee, James, and John arrive to help Simon fish, but after fishing all night, they catch absolutely nothing.
ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
Simon decides to give up, and they row their boats to shore. As they approach land, they see a man teaching to a crowd, and Andrew identifies the man as the one he saw earlier -- the Messiah. Jesus asks if he can stand on Simon’s boat so that the crowd can hear him better. Jesus and Simon introduce themselves to each other, and then Jesus continues with his lesson with a parable about fishing. He explains that a fishing net catches all kinds of fish, but that after the net is full, the fish are sorted into good fish and bad fish. He says that “at the end of the age, angels will come to separate the evil from the righteous.” He then encourages those listening to be patient because the parables he shares may not make sense right away. After he finishes his lesson, he gets out of the boat and tells Simon to put down his net for a catch. Simon, who is exhausted and has given up, shares that after a long night of fishing, they caught nothing, so why should they try one last time? Jesus gives Simon “the look,” and for whatever reason, Simon agrees to try it. Within seconds, the boat nearly capsizes because of how many fish have suddenly filled the net. Matthew is watching from a distance and can’t believe what he is seeing. I love watching Jesus’ reaction during all of this, as he smiles and laughs at the overwhelmed fishermen, and he looks to the sky, as if looking to his Father, pleased and thankful for the miracle that has just occurred (the first of many).
POST-ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
Immediately after hopping out of his boat (now completely filled with fish), Simon falls to his knees in front of Jesus and says, “Depart from me. I am a sinful man. You don’t know who I am, or the things I’ve done.” Jesus encourages him not to be afraid, and Simon apologizes for losing his faith. Jesus tells Simon to lift up his head, and they gaze upon each other for a few seconds. Simon then says the words, “Anything you ask of me, I will do.” These words really touched my heart because I desire to say these words daily. My hope and desire is to continually ask God what he wants me to do and to align my will with God’s will, even though I am a sinner and will fail again and again. This next part is incredible and is such a small and quick movement, that you could miss it if you weren’t paying attention. Jesus kneels down to get on Simon’s level, essentially meeting him where he is at, and asks him to "follow him.” WOW! This definitely symbolizes how God interacts with us. He always meets us where we are at and asks us to follow him. Jesus explains to Simon that he will make them “fishers of men” -- that they are to gather as many people as possible, all kinds, and that he will “sort them out later.” Therefore, we should do the same for others, meeting them where they are at and encouraging them to follow Jesus. We must be willing to leave everything behind and say, “I will.”
EPISODE FOUR REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
~What does it mean to you to “have faith?” Do you trust God wholeheartedly? If not, why not?
~Have you ever been in a moment of desperation like Simon? Was there anybody there to help you? What was going on in your heart emotionally during that/those time(s)?
~When has God given you “the look?” Or, if you haven’t specifically gotten “the look,” when is a time that you have encountered Jesus? What was your life like before, during, and after that encounter moment?
~If Jesus asked you to follow him, would you? What is holding you back from leaving everything behind to follow him?
To watch all eight episodes of season one for free, download The Chosen app on Apple or Android mobile devices.
If you end up loving the show and want to “pay it forward” to help fund season two, you can either make a donation in the app and/or purchase the season one DVD set for yourself or friends/family.
