The Perfect Opportunity
The Chosen (Season Two, 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! :)
DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?
At the beginning of this episode, you see a young boy, later revealed as Jesse, walking up to a tree that he eventually climbs. As he reaches for a branch, he falls, and we then see an elderly man running through the field, carrying Jesse’s limp and seemingly lifeless body. A doctor examines Jesse, and Jesse reveals that he cannot feel anything in his legs. For the rest of the dialogue-free opening sequence, we see Jesse experiencing his new life without the use of his legs. He sees the doctor explain his situation to his parents, who are struck with grief. He sees his friends playing together, even though he is unable to join them. He sees his parents pay substantial money for people to try different treatments to heal their son’s legs. He sees his mother die while giving birth to his baby brother, and his father struggling to provide for his two sons without his wife. He sees his father marry a new woman. He also sees his younger brother begin to include him in activities with the other children by making it accessible to him, even despite his disability. The two brothers begin to form a special bond together, and even share a special handshake. As they get older, they begin to see Roman soldiers treating local townspeople with violence, which seems to fuel a sense of desire for justice among the younger brother. The young brother flees from their home during the night, leaving a scroll on his bed to explain to Jesse why he left and where he went.
Lots of time passes, and we see Jesse sitting besides a pool (later revealed as the Pool of Bethesda from John 5) that bubbles at a certain time each day. When the pool bubbles, everyone who is nearby throws themselves into the water, desperate to reach the source of the bubbling fountain and hoping that it will heal them of their particular ailment. Time continues to pass, and every day, Jesse continues to do his best to scoot himself towards the water to reaching the bubbling fountain but failing every time because of his disability and the number of other people trying to do the same, trampling him in the process. I love how you can see the determination in his face and yet also the disappointment, exhaustion, and sadness when he continues to fail over and over again, eventually giving up completely but still remaining by the pool.
Meanwhile, the disciples are preparing for the Feast of the Tabernacles (also referred to in Scripture as the Feast of Booths; Zechariah 14:16-19) in Jerusalem. While gathering supplies in town, they notice the Pharisees warning the crowd about false prophets (AKA: who they think Jesus is). Eventually, the booth for the Feast is built, and the disciples enjoy their meal together. Big James asks Jesus to clarify what it meant in the book of Zechariah when it says that even enemies will celebrate the Feast (Zechariah 14:16). The disciples say that the booths would not mean anything to others since their people did not have to “dwell in temporary shelters, while wandering in the wilderness,” completely relying on God for protection like the Israelites did. However, Jesus responds that “everyone has wandered through the wilderness at some point.”
Jesus says He needs to visit someone at the Bethesda Pool and brings Simon, John, and Matthew along with Him. John and Simon explain to Matthew that the history of the Bethesda Pool is pagan, as it used to be a shrine to the Phoenician god, Eshmun, and then the Greeks and Romans turned it into a place of worship for a healing cult of Asclepius. Every day, the water steams and bubbles, and some people believe that it is stirred up by an angel who heals the first person who gets to the stirred water. Just as they are about to enter the city, the pass by several crucified individuals, which provides a very chilling and foreshadowing scene, as Jesus knows what is to come for Himself.
Jesus and the others finally arrive at the Bethesda Pool, and Jesus immediately points out the man He has come to visit -- “the one who has been there the longest, but doesn’t belong.” He passes a few Pharisees, who are standing near the Pool, and approaches Jesse. At first, Jesse does not know why Jesus is talking to him, but then, Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” Jesse asks Him to take him to the water, still thinking that it is the only way to be healed, but Jesus shakes His head no. Jesse tells Jesus that he has been having a really bad day, and Jesus says that he has been having a bad day for a long time. Jesse, out of exhaustion, frustration, and sadness, complains that he does not have anyone to help him into the water, and that when he tries to get close, others step in front of him. Jesus crouches down to Jesse and lovingly looks at him, as he continues to complain about why he has not been able to be healed yet. Jesus simply says, “Look at me.” He says that He was not asking about who is not helping Jesse or who is getting in his way. Jesse starts to cry and says, “I’ve tried,” to which Jesus responds, “For a long time, I know. And you don’t want false hope again, I understand.” Jesus tells Jesse that the pool has nothing for him and means nothing and that Jesse really only needs Him, and He asks him the original question again -- “Do you want to be healed?” Then, Jesus tells Jesse to get up, pick up his mat, and walk, and he does just that, all while laughing, crying, and filled with absolute joy.
This scene absolutely WRECKED me the first time that I saw it. I could remember back to moments when I was at my lowest and how I would find myself complaining to God through prayer rather than actually asking for what I truly desired: to be healed. I empathized with Jesse, who was feeling the burden of how hard he had tried, remembering to the moments when I tried my hardest to get through whatever I was going through. And yet, I pictured Jesus looking at me in the exact same way that He looked at Jesse, with love, kindness, gentleness, tenderness, patience, and peace, and asking me the exact same question -- “Do you want to be healed?” The answer should be easy and simply. Yes.
SEEKING SALVATION
The younger brother, eventually revealed to be Simon the Zealot, left his family and his home to join and train with the Zealots, a radical assassination and militaristic party which seeks to fight for justice by overthrowing Rome via violence and to “cleanse Israel of all of her enemies by expelling all non-Jews from Jerusalem.” Simon gets stronger and stronger the longer he trains, which is beautifully juxtaposed with scenes of Jesse’s struggle to get into the pool of Bethesda, getting weaker and weaker the longer he tries.
Simon, along with other fellow Zealots, plan and prepare for an upcoming assassination attempt of the Roman Magistrate, but they do not realize that they are being watched during their practice by Atticus Aemilius, a member of the Roman cohortes urbanae (Latin for “urban cohorts”), sent from Rome to investigate the Zealots. The head of the Zealots officially tells Simon that he has been approved for the mission, but he says that he will be met by his brother. Simon is confused at first, but the leader reveals that what he meant by “brother” was one of his fellow Zealots; however, it is clear that Simon is thinking about his actual brother in that moment. As Simon enters Jerusalem, he passes by a man getting crucified, and it immediately becomes clear that that could be his own fate if the assassination attempt fails or if they are successful and yet get caught.
Simon meets up with the other Zealots, who will be helping with the assassination attempt, and they finalize their plan, anticipating any potential problems or surprises. As the disciples build their booth for the Feast of the Tabernacles, led by their resident architect, Nathanael, the scene is, again, beautifully juxtaposed with seeing Simon build his cart for the assassination attempt. One thing (the booth) is being built to glorify God, and the other (the cart) is being built to "destroy God” since it involves killing a man, even though the intention is to “glorify God” in their own and much more violent way.
Atticus warns Petronius of the planned assassination attempt on the Magistrate, and during that time, Simon visits Jesse at the Pool of Bethesda. Simon says that even though he has visited Jerusalem every year for the Feast, the Zealots said that they were forbidden to visit the Pool since it is essentially a “pagan cult.” Jesse tells Simon that after living 38 years without legs that worked properly, he was willing to try anything and everything to heal them. Simon says that he left Jesse and the family to save him and recognizes that Jesse has seemed to have lost all hope. Jesse tells Simon not to go through with the assassination and shows him that he still has the note that Simon left him before he ran away from home.
Simon begins to go through with the planned assassination attempt, not knowing that the Magistrate has been replaced by Atticus. However, at the exact moment that he is about to complete the final step of the assassination plan, Simon looks up and sees his brother, Jesse, walking by. Completely distracted by what he has just witnessed, he walks toward his brother, which throws everyone and everything off. Jesse sees Simon, and the two brothers are completely overwhelmed with joy at the miracle that has occurred. Through this miracle, Jesus saves both Jesse and Simon, who were each seeking salvation in other ways.
EPISODE FOUR REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
~Jesus says in this episode that “everyone has wandered through the wilderness at some point.” What “wilderness” have you wandered through in your own life? Was it easy or difficult to rely completely on God for protection during that time? What wildernesses can you foresee that you might have to wander through in the future? What will help you rely completely on God during those times?
~Simon and Jesse both seek out things that they think will “save” them during this episode, and they both eventually experience failure by realizing that these things cannot actually save them from their problems. What are some false Messiahs that you’ve sought out in your own life, thinking that it would lead you to a better life?
~Do you want to be healed? From what are you seeking healing? Do you find that you fall into complaining about all the reasons that have prevented you from being healed, or is it easy to simply ask God to be healed?
