The Chosen Season 4 Controversy

 

Warning! Spoilers! 

There has been controversy over a he third episode of The Chosen Season 4 which is now in theaters. The scene features Ramah, The Apostle Thomas’ fiancée being cut down by Quintus and dying. When Thomas seeks Jesus to raise from the dead,  Jesus expresses remorse but responds, “It is not her time. I love you, Thomas. He loves you. I’m so sorry.” Soon, the credits appear on the screen.” (https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/controversial-scene-from-the-chosen-season-4-sparks-debate.html?amp=1). Viewers have been traumatized by this scene, feeling it does bot reflect what Jesus is like, and so now the Series which is a paraphrase is now the center of Christian ire. 

I am going to address this Ramah and Jesus not resurrecting her in parts. I believe Jenkins is possibility saving Ramah’s dramatic raising from the dead when Jesus dies on the cross. The Gospel of Matthew tells us at the death of our Lord many rose, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:50-53). It would be majorly dramatic to have Ramah appear to Thomas risen after Jesus dies when many apostles are struggling and waiting for Resurrection Sunday when Jesus Himself rises from death proving He has all power over death (Hebrews 2:14). 

The second possibility is that tradition tells us Thomas ended up being the apostle to India and was martyred there,  and so Jenkins may have wanted to illustrate its better she not live and see that, and be martyred in a strange country as well. 

A third thing to consider is Jesus Christ has the authority and  the right to decide when people will be raised or not from the dead. He us God The Son, and if he decides its not time, its not time. 

The Chosen is a series trying to show the heart of Christ and how revolutionary the Gospel is. It does this masterfully, but it comes at the expense at times of accuracy to Scripture, with scenes like Ramah’s death being inventions for storytelling purposes. Most of apostles did have wives, “Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?” (1 Corinthians 9:5), we just don’t know their names, including if they were called Ramah. Filling in the empty data on personal details in Scripture results in screams that this is not a Word for Word translation: staying close to the Scriptures in accuracy and on those things omitted stay silent; while a more of a Thought for Thought or Paraphrase translation is trying to interpret to present the events and persons in a way that touches people’s lives and makes the gospel easier to understand. The Chosen is not even a Thought for Thought translation, it is a Paraphrase like The Living Bible, which is useful, because it is doing the work of reaching people for Jesus and The Gospel. Remember Jesus said, “John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,[a] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us,” (Mark 9:38-40) and The Apostle Paul said, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice..” (Philippians 1:15-18). We should be glad so many are being touched and saved by this Chosen series, but I understand that deviations from Scripture, and outright inventions like this Ramah scene and Peter angry at Jesus when walking walking on the water (Season 3) is an issue because its adding to the Truth, however, because of the gaps in the lives of Jesus and the apostles, filmmakers are at times pressed to add what seems plausible and help invest people in some of relational drama of the show. It is a very difficult path, to faithfully depict and uphold the Scriptures and fill in details that it is silent about for the medium of television and cinema. 

I find myself in hard place about the feelings over The Chosen. I do not agree with Dallas Jenkins statements about Mormons (Church of Latter Day Saints) being brothers in Christ, they do not believe in the same Jesus in The Bible that we Christians believe in, however, Jenkins may be alluding to a sect of Mormons I have heard of that have become Biblical Christians, and stay in commune of Ladder Day Saints to reach lost souls like The Charismatic Catholics do in The Roman Church seeking to show their people the Truth, which if God ha called these former deceived people to reach back into the graveyard of error they were plucked from, we cannot deride them, for God works in mysterious ways and “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth..” (1 Timothy 2:4). I do think the liberties The Chosen takes as well as the additions to Scripture can be dangerous and problematic and that being concerned or bringing them up is a dutiful thing for a Christian to do, however I cannot deny what other Christians and I have felt watching The Chosen series, that it has encouraged my faith and I have felt moved by Jesus’ portrayal in the show. We also cannot turn a blind eye to how this series has drawn people to read Scripture for themselves, and be saved in The Lord Jesus Christ!, “what matters is Christ is being preached.” (Philippians 1:18). Amen.