The Chosen has brought many people to Christ, including some of my closest friends. It has personally impacted me and renewed my own faith in many ways. But that doesn’t change the fact that it can be spiritually dangerous for those who are not deeply grounded in Scripture. God gives people discernment for such things. Shows like this can open doors to idolatry, misinformation, and even blasphemy by portraying an inaccurate version of Jesus.
Shows like The Chosen can distort our image of God. Many people I know have shared that they sometimes picture actor Jonathan Roumie when they think of Jesus. Some have even made inappropriate, sexualized videos about him. And these aren’t even non-believers. These are Christians! Even if it’s brushed off as “just fun” or “don’t worry, Jesus has a sense of humor,” it’s a slippery slope I don’t think we should be on in the first place.
If you want to see Jesus, how He spoke, how He lived, open your Bible. God gave us His Word and placed His Spirit inside every believer. The Spirit lives in you, not on your phone screen.
One of my favorite scenes from The Chosen, a scene that still brings me to tears, is the moment between Jesus and Little James. For those unfamiliar with the show, Little James is portrayed as one of Jesus’ disciples who suffers from a physical disability that prevents him from walking properly.
Little James
Leading up to this scene, Jesus has just commanded His followers to spread out to different towns, heal the sick, help the poor, and cast out demons. Before they depart, Little James approaches Jesus with two heart-wrenching questions:
How can someone like him be taken seriously when commanded to heal others?
Why hasn’t Jesus healed him yet?
Jesus’ response to the first question is one of the most beautiful moments in the entire show. However, it’s His response to the second question that troubles me: Jesus does not heal Little James.
Biblically, this is inaccurate and misleading. Show me anywhere in Scripture where Jesus denies healing to someone who came to Him in faith. You won’t find it because it never happened. In the Gospels, Jesus never turns away someone who believes. The only times He refrains from performing miracles are in places marked by unbelief. Even then, He simply withholds signs and wonders from those towns.
Now, I understand why the creators of The Chosen included this scene. It’s meant to encourage those who are suffering, to help them see that their pain is acknowledged and that, in heaven, it will be made meaningless. While that message is emotionally powerful and pulls hard on the heartstrings, it is also factually inaccurate in the context of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
It borders on blasphemy to attribute this trait to Jesus. As Christians, we must be vigilant against teachings and doctrines that stray from God’s Word. When a show like The Chosen portrays a version of Christ who selectively heals, it gives millions the false impression that Jesus picked and chose who was worthy. But the truth is that nobody is worthy and Christ died for all of us regardless.
But What About Unanswered Prayers?
Yes, there are biblical examples of God not granting healing. David’s prayer for his son went unanswered, and the child died. Paul, chosen by Christ Himself, prayed three times for his “thorn in the flesh” to be taken away. Jesus responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” We have no evidence in Scripture to suggest that Paul was ever healed.
So while the idea that God does not always heal is biblically supported, applying that concept to Jesus’ earthly ministry is a different matter entirely. Scripture clearly tells us that Jesus healed all who came to Him in faith during His time on earth.
Ramah
There is no mention of a woman named Ramah in the Bible. There is no historical evidence of a woman romantically involved with the disciple Thomas who later dies and whom Jesus chooses not to raise from the dead. This is a purely fictional subplot.
I understand this is what the film industry calls “artistic creativity.” And if someone wants to make a Christian-inspired drama where a character dies despite praying for healing? Hey, that’s fine! But don’t use the character of Jesus to push emotionally manipulative narratives if you’re not going to remain faithful to the historical facts of His ministry.
I understand creating dialogue to move the plot forward, but I become concerned when those subplots defame Jesus. There was no Ramah. There was never a moment in Scripture where Jesus blesses a couple’s union only to later let one of them die in front of the other, despite repeated pleas for healing.
Judas
In one scene, Jesus cries over Judas, expressing a desire for Judas to be saved. That raises serious theological red flags. Judas was predestined to betray Jesus. God, in His omniscience, knew Judas would choose betrayal.
To suggest that Jesus “wished” to override Judas’ free will in order to save him is unbiblical. The free gift of salvation is offered to all, but it must be accepted. God does not force salvation on anyone. The biblical Jesus called Judas a “devil.”
The idea that The Chosen’s Jesus would violate His own divine principle of free will to save Judas is simply not scriptural. A non-believer watching that scene could walk away with a false understanding of God.
If Judas had believed, he would have been saved. Judas never believed and therefore, he was not saved.
A Too-Human Jesus
There’s also a scene where Eden, Peter’s wife, is struggling to cook for Jesus and the twelve disciples. Jesus eats hurriedly and appears oblivious to her distress. In that moment, He reminds me of myself as a teenager, eating selfishly without bothering to ask my mom if she was okay or if my brothers wanted some of my food.
That portrayal is difficult to reconcile with an all-knowing God. He is human but He is also God. The Jesus I read about in Scripture would not behave that way, because He is compassionate, discerning, and intimately aware of every heart’s struggle.
Repent and Believe the Gospel
Can you watch The Chosen? Absolutely. It is not sinful in and of itself. But treat it as entertainment, a Netflix-style drama inspired by biblical characters. At best, it is an “inspired show about Bible characters.”
If you choose to watch it, I urge you to keep a Bible beside you, because you are also watching something that distorts truth and presents factually inaccurate subplots. If that feels burdensome, then you’re better off not watching the show at all.
This same logic should be applied to everything related to God. If someone is teaching something that isn’t backed by Scripture, then it’s merely their opinion, regardless of how well-intentioned they may be.
I would show The Chosen to a new Christian only to give them a basic visual understanding of Jewish culture, but I would have to pause every fifteen seconds to explain why certain scenes are not biblically accurate. At that point, I’d be better off spending the time simply reading the Bible with them instead.
As one of my favorite YouTuber says:
“No Scripture detected, opinion rejected.”
Colossians 2:8 — “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”