Unlawful
The Chosen (Season Two, Episode Six)
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! :)
RULES, RULES, RULES
The episode begins with a couple from 1008 BC in Israel, talking about how their oldest son has been sick for several days. The husband, Ahimelech, has faith that his son will heal but says that he is going to teach his younger son, Abiathar, how to make shrewbread, which is a family and religious tradition. He teaches Abiathar that they make twelve shrewbread cakes, one for each of the tribes of Israel. Ahimelech explains that it is called the “Bread of the Presence” because it serves as a reminder of God’s presence in their lives, and a symbol that He sits at their table and dwells in their midst.
A man, later identified as David, busts open the door, interrupting the father and son, and he says that the King has sent him on a mission. While Ahimelech thinks it is the actual King, David clarifies that he means the true King, God Himself. He says that he and his men haven’t eaten in several days and begs for just a few loaves of bread. Ahimelech says that he only has the holy bread, but eventually, he gives him the loaves that were replaced by the new hot ones. He says to remember that they are sacred, but David replies that “life is more sacred than bread.” Ahimelech says that he trusts that something exciting is going to come through David, and David mentions that there was nothing more exciting than defeating the giant (1 Samuel 17).
Later in the episode, Thomas is worried about not having enough food to feed everyone since they are running out of supplies. He seems frustrated at the fact that Jesus can perform all of these miracles but can’t seem to make food appear for them. Andrew reminisces how when he was with John the Baptist, they would sometimes go days without eating but that they didn’t really think anything of it. They just had to trust that God would provide. Meanwhile, the disciples watch Simon the Zealot has he does his morning workout routine, and John says that he could never join the Zealots because of all of their rules, especially when they have enough rules to follow being Jewish -- 613 total (prayers to recite, things they can and cannot do, etc.).
The Pharisees are still persistent in trying to open a case against Jesus and what He is doing, but they are told that because there are 613 commandments, President Shimon needs to focus on which cases he spends his energy. The Pharisees, frustrated with how the higher Jewish authorities aren’t taking them seriously, decide to go to President Shimon’s philosophical rival, Rabbi Shammai, to see if he will take their concerns about Jesus seriously.
Jesus leads the disciples to a nearby synagogue, and when they enter, He approaches a man, named Elam, with a withered hand. The Rabbi stops reading Torah, and after Jesus informs him of Elam’s condition, he says that it isn’t lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus appears frustrated as He asks if the same principle would apply if one of their sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:11-12). Then, He says that the man’s life is more valuable than a sheep, and He heals the man’s withered hand. The Rabbis of the synagogue are furious at what Jesus did because he “broke the rules” instead of rejoicing at the man’s miraculous healing.
As the disciples are leaving, Simon, without thinking, grabs some grain of wheat and begins to eat, forgetting that he isn’t supposed to harvest on Shabbat. He immediately apologizes to Jesus, saying that he has been so hungry that he forgot what day it was. Jesus, after looking at the disciples, grants them permission to eat the grain, and the Rabbis run up to them in anger. Jesus asks if they read what David did when he was in need and hungry (Matthew 12:3-4). David entered the House of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which technically wasn’t lawful for him to eat. Finally, He says that “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” and that the “Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). Essentially, Jesus is trying to teach them that they shouldn’t be so obsessed with rules that they neglect to serve those who need to be served, and that, as the Son of Man, He is the one who created the rules in the first place. The rules can’t hold Him back from doing what He is called to do. Mic drop.
BROKE AGAIN
Simon and Matthew have been sent into town by Jesus to search for Mary of Magdala. While they devise a plan, a drunk Roman soldier stumbles upon them, who says that he had another rough night at The Nomad, supposedly the local bar in town. Simon and Matthew decide to check for Mary there.
Back at camp, Ramah and Mary, Jesus’s mother, are walking and talking about edible flowers, which Mary explains that she knows so much about because her family needed to learn what the Earth could give them due to their poverty. Ramah doesn’t understand why Jesus can’t just bring Mary of Magdala back. Mary explains to Ramah that they lived in Egypt when Jesus was young, and one of the Egyptian gods was called Thoth, who they believed could grant their wishes if they performed certain rituals. She says that it doesn’t work that way with God. Ramah says that nothing good can come from Mary disappearing, but Mary asks if she knows that for sure. Ramah is worried about Matthew and Simon leading the search since they don’t like each other, but Mary suggests that it could be an opportunity for them to work together. Ramah is worried about the safety of her friend and asks why Jesus would use her pain to unite two men who are annoyed with each other. Mary encourages Ramah to trust in God and reminds her that she can’t fix anything by worrying about it.
This brief conversation between Ramah and Mary really encouraged me to try and see the good in the midst of suffering. It can be so easy for us to have our mind clouded when going through suffering, regardless of what the suffering is or the severity of it, and we can often forget to trust in God and see the good that can come from it. God doesn’t cause suffering to happen to us. It isn’t in His nature. However, He allows suffering to happen because He loves us and wants us to have free will, and with free will comes suffering because the choice to turn away from Him exists. God can always bring good from moments of suffering, even if it is difficult to see. Nobody likes to go through suffering or to see others experience it. It brings me hope though to know that one day, there will be a time when there is no more suffering, and I look forward to that day.
Mary of Magdala falls back into gambling and excessive drinking, but when her conscience briefly kicks in, she gathers her winnings and tries to leave. However, the men don’t want her to walk away with their money, and they begin to get aggressive with her. Mary has a flashback to a tender moment with her father, when he reminds her of what to say when she’s scared, and filled with sadness and shame, she immediately gets up from the table, leaving her winnings behind. Simon and Matthew arrive at the bar to look for Mary, but they find that she has already gone (and left a ton of angry men behind). They eventually find her, drunk and alone, and she says that she isn’t going anywhere because she can’t go back and face Jesus. Simon tells her that Jesus told them to come for her, and she says that He already fixed her once but she broke again. Matthew shares that he is a bad person too, having lived a selfish life with no faith, and Mary says that she still has faith in Jesus but not in herself. Simon and Matthew affirms Mary and all the good things that she has done for others and for the disciples, saying that Jesus saved her to do all of these things and more.
Simon and Matthew accompany Mary back to the camp, but her body language -- crossed arms, looking down, tense shoulders -- communicates the interior shame that she feels. Ramah and Mary, Jesus’s mother, run to her, grateful that she’s alive, and Mary returns a veil to Mary of Magdala’s head. Mary of Magdala asks the two women where Jesus is, and Mary, Jesus’s mother, says that she will immediately take her to Him. The two Marys enter Jesus’s tent, and Jesus tells Mary that it is good to have her back. Mary of Magdala admits that she doesn’t know what to say, and Jesus responds that He doesn’t require much. She apologizes, saying that she is ashamed at how Jesus redeemed her but she just threw it all away. She says that she doesn’t think she can live up to repaying Jesus for everything He did for her, but Jesus says that she doesn’t has to because He, and the Father, just wants her heart. Jesus says that he knows how painful the moment was for her to sin and struggle again, and Mary says how sorry she is. Jesus tells her to “look up,” and even though Mary doesn’t think she can, she eventually does and hears Jesus tell her that He forgives her. He then hugs her, smiling and proud of her returning to Him.
This scene WRECKED me, and it is incredibly beautiful in many ways. One, I absolutely love how Mary, Mother of God, is present the entire time and is the one who brought Mary of Magdala to Jesus. This simple action communicates exactly what Mary deeply desires to do -- to bring us to her Son. She doesn’t just drop us off and leave us, but she stays with us and accompanies us the entire time so that we are never alone. What a gift! Second, I love seeing Mary of Magdala’s vulnerability and honesty, as she shares how she is feeling shame and sadness for what she did. She honestly shares how she doesn’t feel like she can live up to what is expected of her, or at least what she thinks is expected of her. However, Jesus rejects this lie because He says that all God wants is her heart, which is exactly all that God wants from us as well. Finally, I love how patient and loving Jesus is with Mary of Magdala. He doesn’t even seem to care about what Mary did or didn’t do, but instead, all He cares about is that she has returned to Him. This entire scene is a perfect example of what the sacrament of confession is like. It is an opportunity for us to return to God, to vulnerably and honestly admit the times in our lives where we’ve turned away from Him, and to “look up” to receive His forgiveness and mercy. God wants nothing more than to receive our entire heart, and there is absolutely nothing we could have done to prevent us from receiving His forgiveness and mercy and to start fresh and strive to avoid these sins and struggles in the future. GOD IS SO GOOD!
EPISODE SIX REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
~Is God actually telling us to neglect all of the “rules” of the faith, or is there an invitation to something deeper? How might strictly following the “rules” blind us to what God is calling us to do? How might they help us?
~In this episode, Mary reminds Ramah that good can always come from suffering and that we must trust in God. Is there an example in your own life where something good came from a time of suffering? Is it often easy to see the good in those moments and trust in God, or is it more difficult? Why?
~In what ways have friends helped you recover from low moments in your life? How can you be that support for others and accompany them when they reach “rock bottom”?
~How can you allow Mary, Mother of God, to bring your closer to her Son? How can you do the same for others?
