A couple thoughts on the first episode of season 4 of The Chosen.

– Judas and Zee are doing laundry. Judas wants to do more to support and advance Jesus’ mission. He brings up that they each have a “former way of life in the world, Zee as a zealot working for violent revolution against Rome and Judas as a businessman. Judas is convinced there ought to be some way to adapt their “former way of life in the world” so it serves Jesus and his Kingdom. Judas is not wrong, but this is a difficult question for all of us to work through. Repentance is a “turning from.” It’s not just a “turning from” my personal sins; it’s also a “turning from” my former way of life in the world” and a “turning to” Jesus’ way. Looking at Christian history it looks like our repentance (our “turning from”) is usually more partial than we’d like to think, and our “turning to” less than we imagine.

– The episode focuses on John the Baptist. Unlike Zee & Judas his “way of life in the world” was on a single track from birth to death. It’s easy to look at his life and the way it ended as a sad failure. But he and Jesus’ disciples count him as having fulfilled his mission. Can we fulfill our mission without the signs of worldly success we seek?