Some thoughts and questions from The Chosen Season 4 Episode :

– Jesus and Andrew are talking about the recent death of John the Baptist. They get to a point where they’re both laughing, and Andrew wonders if it’s ok to laugh, if laughing is compatible with grieving.

– Jesus takes the disciples to a pagan worship area at Caesarea Philippi. They’re disgusted by what they see the pagans doing. Jesus asks, “Are you ready to follow me even if it leads to a place like this?”

– We see Peter’s confession of Jesus’ as Messiah (and his new name). What I wonder about is the moviemaker’s decision to separate that confession from Jesus’ statement that he will go to Jerusalem, be rejected, killed, and raised on the third day. Each of the synoptic gospels puts these events adjacent to each other. I’m waiting to see where The Chosen will put Jesus’ comments.

– Matthew and Peter both take their feelings of guilt & unforgiveness to Jesus – exactly the right thing to do. Jesus tells Matthew, “You don’t apologize to be forgiven. You apologize to repent.”

– With his new name Peter and the others are wondering what it’s supposed to mean. So far he seems like the same person. Asked about it Jesus says, “I make people what they aren’t.”

– Peter’s first important act of leadership was to publicly forgive Matthew.

Note: If you have not seen The Chosen, it is an imaginative retelling of the story of Jesus. Some of the stories and dialog come directly from scripture; most, however, does not.