'The Chosen' sparks controversy as critics label scene between Jesus, Judas 'unbiblical'
“The Chosen” has sparked controversy after a sneak peek from the upcoming season of the series showed dialogue between Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot, which some have criticized as “unbiblical.”
Last week, showrunner Dallas Jenkins previewed a scene from the upcoming season slated for release in April 2025, depicting a brief moment between Jesus and the disciple who would eventually betray him.
“You have a choice to make, Judas,” Jesus says in the scene in which Judas challenges Jesus to “reclaim” his “birthright.” “Who you belong to? Who has your heart? I want it, and I’ve had it before. You followed me willingly.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“I want to continue,” Judas replies. “There’s nothing more that I want than that.”
Jesus takes an emotional Judas’ hand, telling him, “Then I will pray for you. But for now, please leave me in peace.”
New clip from the TV show 'The Chosen' has Jesus telling Judas Iscariot this super unbiblical thing. pic.twitter.com/u65JPwbBHh
— Protestia (@Protestia) December 12, 2024
The clip drew criticism on social media from pastors, with some accusing the series of taking too many liberties with the biblical text.
"Contrary to 'The Chosen,' the Bible does not say Jesus told Judas, 'I will pray for you,'" said Arizona Pastor Gabriel Hughes of Providence Reformed Baptist Church in Casa Grande in a social media post. "He called Judas' son of perdition' (John 17:12), destined to betray the Son of God according to Scripture. Jesus did not pray for Judas to make a different choice, or we wouldn't be saved."
"There's the Bible and then there's the Chosen," said Florida Southern Baptist Pastor Adam Page. "The two rarely if ever meet."
Shane Idleman, the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, stated in a tweet that while he doesn't have a problem with "The Chosen" taking "some artistic and creative freedom," he believes some of what is said in the clip is "controversial."
"I'm not sure that Jesus ever 'had Judas's heart' initially or prayed for him," Idleman wrote. "We have to be careful with creative freedom."
In a viral post on X, the discernment news blog Protestia panned the scene as "super unbiblical."
Others came to the series' defense, questioning how it is unbiblical. One X user wrote that Jesus wanted "all to follow him" and that even if the dialogue from the scene itself can't be found in Scripture, "people are going a bit over the top about this."
Jenkins, son of "Left Behind" creator Jerry B. Jenkins, has often addressed criticism the show diverges from the biblical text.
"I would say, probably 95 percent of the content of the show isn't directly from Scripture," he said last year. "People call it a Bible show; they'll call it a Jesus show. And I'm OK with that, but I'll say, 'This is actually — I mean the Bible is for sure the primary source of truth and inspiration for the show, but there's a ton of content that isn't actually directly from Scripture,'" Jenkins said.
"It's a dangerous proposition," he continued. "You're walking a fine line, especially as someone like myself who loves the Bible, and I know that people who watch it, the majority of people who watch it, are going to be wanting us to remain faithful to the scriptures as much as possible."
"We operate from this question: Is this plausible? Whatever we write, if it didn't come from Scripture — is this plausible, culturally, historically? And does it fit within the character and intentions of Jesus and in the Gospels, even if it's not directly from them, or even if we don't know if it's fact or not?"
Jenkins stressed that "The Chosen" isn't "pretending to be the Bible," adding: "We're not a replacement for Scripture; we never claimed to be. … This is a show about first-century Galilee using the Bible as our primary source."
In 2021, Jenkins told The Christian Post that writers consult with everyone from Messianic and Jewish rabbis to Evangelical scholars to ensure biblical accuracy when bringing such characters to life.
Jenkins emphasized that he in no way wants "The Chosen" to serve as a replacement for the Bible, "say something new" or reinvent God's Word.
"I'm simply making a historic drama rooted in first-century Galilee and based on the stories of the Bible," he explained. "I believe that as long as we don't violate the intentions or the core character of Jesus and the Gospels, then it's interesting to explore."
"The good news is, people who watch the show aren't saying, 'I've seen the show, I don't need to read the Bible,'" he added. "They're saying, 'I want to read the Bible more than ever before.' That gives us leeway to explore backstories and to put ourselves in these stories and connect ourselves to the people of first century Galilee, which will ultimately connect us to Jesus."
