The Chosen

Discussion and Learning:

Read John 3:1-21

How did the writer’s take on this episode reinforce any previous conceptions that you may have had of this event? How does it change them? What moved you about this scene? What would you have portrayed differently?

NOTE: John’s gospel seems to place the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus in the vicinity of Jerusalem / Judea. If you’d like, check out John 2:23 and 3:22, verses surrounding the conversation, both of which place Jesus down south rather than around the Sea of Galilee.

Did you catch the disciple, John, taking notes on the steps as Jesus and Nicodemus talk? Fun little shot that gets your mind thinking! What was the point of that?

How do the writers use Psalm 2 and what point are they making with its use?

The Greek word for “spirit” and “wind/breath” are the same. What point then is Jesus making as he and Nicodemus discuss the wind, recorded in John 3:8?

Check out John 3:5-6 again. Jesus is there contrasting a physical birth (“water” “flesh”) with a spiritual birth (“born of the Spirit”). Nicodemus has trouble following Him – do we do any better? How are we “born of the Spirit”?

Check out Luther’s comment on being “born of the Spirit” in his explanation to the 3rd Article of the Apostle’s Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my OWN reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. But the HOLY SPIRIT has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the one true faith…” How does this help us understand what it means to be “born of the Spirit”?

If you are using various English versions, you may notice that there is a difference in the red letter editions (red letters indicate the words of Jesus). There is some debate over where the words of Jesus in this text end … and perhaps the commentary of the Gospel writer, John, begin. So ESV in its red letter edition has Jesus speaking all these words thru v. 21, while NIV has Jesus’s words ending at v.15. The original writing obviously is not a red letter edition (ha ha)
and so we don’t know for sure where (or if) Jesus’ words ends and John’s word begin. The Chosen portrays Jesus as saying the very familiar words of John 3:16, and may indeed be right.

Read Matthew 9:9-13

NOTE: In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, “Matthew” is called “Levi, son of Alphaeus”. They are almost surely the same person.

One of the impressive things about The Chosen is that it fills in a backstory to things like what we read about in Matthew 9:9. The gospel writers, trying to get a LOT into a small scroll, leave out backstories … and so it appears that the very first time Matthew saw Jesus was as He walked by that day. How does The Chosen help you understand and flesh out the very likely reality of what happened with Matthew?

How did Jesus appear to you? Like you thought? Different?

What will you take home with you and ponder further?