Why more Jesus stuff?

By Dallas Jenkins, Voices Contributor Sunday, March 24, 2019

A scene from the series 'The Chosen' — A scene from the series "The Chosen" | Screenshot: The Chosen

I’ve been a believer my whole life, I’ve attended Christian schools my whole life, and I’ve heard the stories of Jesus countless times. I’ve also seen every Jesus movie and miniseries ever made, and there have been dozens. So why a new TV show about Jesus? Why another devotional?

Because I have a passion for people to hear the “old, old story” again … for the very first time. When I see Jesus movies, it’s very rare for me to feel moved or excited, and the same is true for a lot of Jesus-related devotionals. Quite frankly, I’ve heard it all before, and it’s hard to relate to the perfect and sinless son of God. However, I can relate to the sinners who surrounded Him. Problem is, many Jesus projects just take you from Bible story to Bible story, not spending as much time on the humanity and backstories of all these characters.

So when I started creating a show that explores Jesus through the eyes of the people around Him, I found myself getting moved and excited. We were exploring the backstories of Simon Peter, Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and a few of Jesus’s miracle recipients, and in turn experiencing Him in the way they did. We couldn’t help but identify with their recklessness, rough pasts, religious piety, and desperation for life change. And ultimately, their redemption.

But no amount of cultural and historical study, contemplation and imagination, or the technology that brings it all to life matters if they don’t compel you back to Scripture. Not only so you can experience Jesus the way His followers did, but so you can change and grow the way they did. Jesus’s followers were students—it’s why they called him “Rabbi” and “Teacher”—so we must be too. We should be students who write stuff down, who pray over what we read and, in turn, continually celebrate the fact that we were chosen to be ambassadors for the One who created the world.

The Chosen devotional is connected to the TV show, yes, but only in the sense that we’re compelled to show and tell in order to revive a passion for Scripture and for the One who inspired it. No matter where you’re at in your journey with Christ—whether you’re a Mary Magdalene who encountered Jesus after a horrific past without Him, or you’re a Nicodemus who’s been a lifelong member of the God team—Jesus proved over and over that we have so much to learn and innumerable traits that need change.

Learn more at thechosendevotional.com

Dallas Jenkins is director of The Chosen.