The Chosen

 

Last night Alex was invited to a zoom call with a group of Christian students who were interviewing the director, producer and an actress from The Chosen.

She was kind enough to let me listen in.  

It was encouraging to watch groups of young people come together and talk about how to make sharing Jesus a part of their lives and also to hear how the show had touched many of them as they reflected on what Jesus means to them.

Dallas Jenkins, the director, specifically commented on how he chose to focus on the humanity side of Jesus.  He said that Christians sometimes hesitate to focus on that because we don't want to take away from His divinity.  

But his humanity is the part we can relate to.  

His human traits are those we can learn about and copy.  

We can be like Him precisely because we are human too.  

We can read in Matthew 4:2 where "he was afterwards an hungered and was left to be tempted of the devil".  I've been hungry and tempted before too.  How did he respond? I can follow him. 

Or in Matthew 9:10 "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples."  Jesus ate meals with people from different situations and walks of life.  I can broaden invitations to my table as well.  

Or John 11:35 "Jesus wept". He knew his friends were hurting and he felt compassion and cried for them.  I can cry for my friends too and show compassion and empathy.  

So as you read and study the scriptures, explore the nuances of Jesus.  Picture how he interacts with others.  Look for the human pieces you identify with. And then follow him.  

And as you do, that improvement of your own humanity will bring you closer to the divine.