'The Bible' Episode 3: Prophet Daniel, Jesus, John the Baptist, and Peter
Twenty five years pass and now Jesus begins his ministry. Herod's son Herod Antipas is now king and Pontius Pilate, the Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, who will be the judge of Jesus' trial and authorize the crucifixion, arrives.
The audience is next taken to the River Jordan where John the Baptist is baptizing the crowd. Jesus, whose first image on screen is blurry and his head is covered, approaches John the Baptist in the river. He removes his cloak, and although John the Baptist says that he is the one that needs to be baptized, Jesus asks him to baptize him.
After the baptism, Jesus goes into the wilderness for 40 days where he is tempted. He falls down in the middle of the desert from weakness, and from his cloak a small snake slithers out. Jesus suddenly shakes and sits up slowly, turns around and there is Satan – walking towards him in a heavy, black hooded cloak. His face is ash gray, his nails black – looking like death – and tempts Jesus to turn the stone into bread, to throw himself down the mountain, and to bow to Satan in exchange for power.
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Jesus refuses and as Satan tempts him with the image of having a gold crown set on his head, Jesus sees flashes of his future of a bloody crown of thorn. And instead of Satan's image of a Roman official pouring oil on his feet and kissing it, Jesus sees the nails and his bloody hands.
The story moves to John the Baptist being imprisoned and Jesus going to the Sea of Galilee, where he sees Peter on a boat without any luck in fishing that day. "Peter, just give me an hour and I will give you a whole new life," says Jesus to Peter after he is helped into Peter's boat. Jesus knows the name Peter without any introduction.
Meanwhile, Herod Antipas is talking to John the Baptist before his execution, saying, "Do you claim to be the messiah?"
"No," John the Baptist replies.
"But do you think he's coming?" Antipas persists.
"He's already here," replies John the Baptist, as dramatic, epic music sets the mood. "Here, he's here, out there, speaking God's truth, opening the heart of all men."
The screen goes back to Jesus and Peter on the boat, where Peter is pulling up nets full of fish. "How did this happen? What did you do?" Peter asks Jesus.
"I'm giving you a chance to change your life, Peter. Come with me. Give up catching fish and I will make you a catcher of man."
"What are you going to do?" Peter asked.
"Change the world," Jesus replies, as the camera pulls back showing Jesus standing on the boat while Peter sits with his net full of fish amid a wide sea; just one man and a simple fisherman who will change the world and history.
In prison, John the Baptist is beheaded and the shadow of his decapitated head is shown, and episode 3 concludes with Jesus and Peter in the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, with Jesus now beginning his public ministry.
