Joan's Take on The Chosen

John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and therefore … he delayed his trip to Bethany. Wait, what? Why did Jesus let his friends suffer?

This episode tackles that question head on. Why does little James suffer? Why did Mary Magdalene suffer? Why does Thomas suffer?

Why does God allow His own Son to suffer?

As always, we’ll talk about the high points of the episode and the low points. Mary Magdalene in a cave in France? Yay! James being martyred in Egypt? Nope. (He was martyred in Jerusalem). Lazarus’ makeup? Spot on. Jesus being snappy with Yussif’s dad? Not my favorite. Oh, and more snow-covered mountains…

But Lazarus! Raised from the dead! I can’t watch it without chills.

This episode felt a bit “transitional” to set up the last two episodes of the season, although we had some drama in the Temple! We have a lot to talk about, including Hanukkah (where’s that in the bible? And my theory on why they spent so much time telling the story) and Jesus’ radical claims.

What did you think of the way the Temple scene played out? Did you like how closely they are following John’s Gospel? We’ll talk about it all!

Want more about the idea of Jesus as shepherd? Check out my bible study “I Will Rescue My Flock” on YouTube here.

Want to find out more about the Canon of Scripture? Check out Gary Michuta’s Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger. Or subscribe to my YouTube channel to see an upcoming Theology in 3 episode on the canon!

This was a mixed episode for me. It had some great parts (don’t you want to party with Lazarus and Jesus? Can someone make some lemon mint bread for me, please?) and it had some dragging “why are we talking about this” parts. Once again, The Chosen does best what it does best: putting right in front of our eyes the lived realities of the implications of Jesus’ words (in this episode, Mt 5:41). In this episode of Joan’s Take on the Chosen, I talk about all of that, as well as give a little reflection on Matthew 20:1-16.

Scripture verses: Mt 5:41, Mt 20:1-16, and Lk 10:38-42. I also reference Jn 6:6

I don’t know about you, but I have been waiting for this scene since we met Gaius in Season 1 and we got Matthew 8:5-13 vibes. All in all, I was really pleased with it. So if you get tired of my critical commentary, just hang in there for the end!

I think there are three main themes to this episode, so I discuss all three, and also touch on why I’m not happy with frustrated Jesus. Are we in the inner circle of the chosen or are we on the outer circle of the crowd? We’re getting mixed messages, and in my opinion, it might impact how the average viewer sees Jesus. Just my opinion. We talk all about it in this episode.

Looking for a Catholic commentary on the Chosen? You’ve come to the right place! Joan's Take on the Chosen is a Catholic commentary, where we look at the show from a Catholic perspective. Because the show is intended to draw us closer to God’s Word, we will be looking at the Bible, too. Who knew Catholics read the Bible? You can find more from me at joanmwatson.substack.com

The ending that shocked the world! We talk about that, of course, but we also talk about John 9 and the incarnational, sacramental aspects of this beautiful miracle. What did you think of the ending? It’s okay if you disagree with me! (Remember, opinions are like feet…)

This is one of my favorite episodes of Season 4. There are lots of mysteries in life… grief, sin, weakness in the Church, the plan of God… through it all, we must “lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) but follow Christ.

How about that depiction of Caesarea Philippi?! It’s clear that someone has been there and knew what the ruins look like. If you want to see pictures, check out this episode over on www.youtube.com/joanwatson

Scripture References:

Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 18:18

Isaiah 22:22

We’re finally back! It’s time to discuss Season 4 of The Chosen!

In this episode, we discuss the Visitation (what did you think of Elizabeth? And did you recognize Zechariah from the Geico commercial?) and some of the scenes that are setting up future themes, including the development of Judas and the side story of Thomas and Ramah… I’ll save my comments there for future episodes.

I think there was something very powerful in the juxtaposition between the Canticle of Zechariah and the martyrdom of John– because after all, what does it mean to prepare the way of the Lord?

It’s finally time to talk about season four… almost! While I have seen the whole season, Joan’s Take on the Chosen won’t return until the episodes are available to stream. I discuss why in this super-mini-preseason episode/announcement.

Don’t worry, no spoilers!

When the streaming dates are announced, I’ll announce dates and times for the live YouTube chats–on the heels of which the podcast episodes appear, of course.

I ended this episode doubting if I had done it justice. There are so many powerful spiritual lessons and questions and reminders. Why does God allow suffering? When is faith faith? Simon says he has faith … but is faith really faith without trust?

So much. There was a rousing conversation happening in the YouTube chat, so hopefully that’s not distracting on the podcast. I tried to stay on topic!

For those interested in my online Scripture community that I mentioned at the end of the episode, you can find out more at https://1john1.circle.so

This episode seemed a bit disjointed to me. We start with Purim, but that seems forgotten by the middle of the episode. We have the introduction of a few new characters (one that you might recognize from a looong time ago) and plenty of scenes only intended to set other scenes in motion. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have lot of talk about!

Maybe one over-arching theme is what does it mean to be a disciple… Andrew and Philip feel like failures because the message caused dissension. Matthew and Mary feel unworthy. Peter questions why Jesus didn’t protect Eden. Can we be disciples and haveso many complicated feelings…? (hint: yes.)