THE CHOSEN S1E7 In-Depth Summary & Review: A Tale of Two Invitations
In this episode of the Chosen, Jesus has a famous conversation with the doubting leader of one of the groups that hated him the most, and calls an unusual man to be one of his latest disciples.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: Read this article AFTER you’ve seen the show to avoid spoilers. You can watch the show FOR FREE at https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
Index
You can find and read the other In-Depth Summaries & Reviews here:
What’s Happened So Far
In the last episode, Jesus healed a demoniac, and then a paralytic.
Matthew has told the Romans what he saw (regarding the miraculous catch of fish), but they don’t believe him. Quintus tells Matthew he’s been played, but Matthew doesn’t think so.
He goes to find Simon and Andrew to confirm Jesus’ miracle-working abilities, and oversees Jesus healing the paralytic, who has been lowered through the roof by faithful friends because the crowd that’s gathered to hear Jesus speak is too large for the usual modes of entry.
When jealous Pharisees call Roman guards to give Jesus trouble, his disciples spirit him away via the backdoor. Before he leaves, Jesus sees Matthew watching, and gives him a look.
Episode Summary
It’s the 13th century BC, somewhere in the Sinai Peninsula. A bearded man works on some project in the fire when a younger man walks in.
“Joshua, how many more in the night?”
“Some 300 sir,” Joshua says, addressing the first man as Moses.
They argue over God’s latest inexplicable command: to make a bronze snake in order to heal a mysterious plague that is plaguing the Israelites.
Here’s the story, as told in the Bible:
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
— Numbers 21:4–9
Moses asks Joshua to hand him that pole over there and hangs his metal snake over it.
Neither Moses nor Joshua understand why looking at a bronze snake on a pole will heal the people of their disease, but Moses says:
“It’s an act of faith! Not reason.”
And here comes the fish song!
We begin with a scene of Matthew getting dressed and ready for the day.
Gaius is waiting outside to walk him to work. Matthew is surprised. Is Gaius feeling indebted to him for his promotion?
As they walk, they talk about Matthew’s “luck” in finding favor with Quintus because of the whole Simon Situation.
“There is no luck,” Matthew says.
“So you knew Quintus wouldn’t kill you?” Gaius says.
Matthew’s speech indicates that he is starting to second guess himself and his world view.
Meanwhile, Nicodemus is in his study, watching the clock.
His wife comes in to tell him that their newest grandchild has just been born, and she’s preparing to travel to meet him.
“No! My research here is not completed!” Nicodemus protests.
“Nico! It’s your own grandson!”
“Come to your senses!” Nico’s wife Zohara says.
As they argue, Quintus barges in unannounced and whistles over the luxuriousness of Nicodemus’ dwellings.
Quintus has come to ask Nicodemus about Jesus, because the recent stampede in the Eastern quarter delayed Herod’s envoy.
He tells Nicodemus to arrange a private meeting with Jesus, and report back to him.
Jesus and the disciples are setting up camp in some field, and discussing how from now on they will be living a nomadic lifestyle, not staying in one place.
When Thaddeus asks how much firewood to cut, Jesus says 5 days — that way they can leave some leftovers for the next weary traveler.
Just then, Mary comes and asks to speak to Jesus. She apologizes for helping the paralytic on the roof and how they disrupted Jesus’ teaching, but Jesus brushes off the apologies.
She also tells him about Nicodemus’ request for a private interview. Jesus agrees, then tells Mary he’s already made plans for tomorrow night — a dinner party in the Northern District.
Mary seems a bit surprised: “But that row of homes!”
Jesus reassures her, and tells her to spread the word:
We see Matthew standing hesitantly with the black dog outside of a door when he finally works up his courage and knocks. A middle-aged woman answers and says in surprise, “Matthew!”
Matthew’s mother reluctantly invites him inside, saying “if your father were here, I couldn’t do this.”
From their conversation, you can tell that there is a huge barrier between mother and son.
Matthew has come to ask his mother about the crazy things he’s recently experienced. “My whole world…everything I thought I knew…what if it’s wrong?”
But Matthew’s mom just says, “I think you should go.”
Jesus is at Simon’s house, cleaning fish. Simon does not think it’s a good idea to talk to Nicodemus, but Jesus says Mary is a good judge of character, and not to worry about it.
Andrew shows up with a hooded cloak for Jesus and Simon quietly asks Eden if she can help keep her mother’s coughing quiet. He doesn’t want to burden Jesus with their family problems.
Eden reassures him, “He’s made up his mind about you — he’s not going to kick you out of the group.”
Dressed in his cloak, Jesus prepares to go meet Nicodemus. Simon asks if Jesus is sure he doesn’t want Simon to go along, but Jesus tells him to stay with his wife and mother-in-law.
“You see?” Eden says to Simon.
At an undisclosed rooftop location, Jesus and Nicodemus meet to talk.
Jesus tells Nicodemus he is here about “a kingdom.”
“That’s what our rulers are worried about,” Nicodemus says.
That’s not what he means, Jesus tells Nico. It’s the kind of kingdom that only those born again can see.
The scene basically follows the outline given in the Bible itself:
Nicodemus…came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
— John 3:1–17
Jesus invites Nicodemus to join him and his students in 2 days, when they leave Capernaum.
Nico is in tears, considering how much he has to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus, and yet he knows that he is “standing on holy ground…well, holy roof.”
When Nico kneels, Jesus says, “you don’t have to do that.”
Nicodemus quotes part of Psalm 2:12
Kiss the son, lest he be angry
and you perish on the way
But Jesus completes the verse:
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
And with that, he embraces a sobbing Nicodemus.
The next day, Gaius is trying to engage Matthew in conversation as he collects taxes, but Matthew is clearly distracted.
Gaius asks what Matthew did, then, and Matthew says he went to see his mother. “Ugh, that would put me out, too.” Gaius commiserates. “I thought your parents don’t speak to you.”
But Matthew says he had questions he couldn’t ask anyone else. Just then, Jesus and his disciples walk by:
Jesus walks a few steps, then stops as Matthew cranes his neck to see what’s going on.
Jesus walks back and calls to Matthew:
Matthew is stunned to be addressed:
“Follow me,” Jesus says.
“Me?” Matthew can’t believe his ears.
“Yes, you.” Jesus chuckles.
Simon comes running to stop Jesus:
And Gaius tells Jesus, “Keep moving, street preacher!”
“Do you have any idea what this guy has done?” Simon protests. “Do you even know him?” But all Jesus says is “Yes.”
And that’s enough for Matthew. His lips twitch in a half smile, and he immediately turns and walks out of his booth.
“Listen! I said to — “ Gaius interrupts himself when Matthew comes out of the tax booth. “What are you doing?”
“Are you out of your mind?” Gains says, as he reminds Matthew that he lives better than all the Jews in the area. “You’re going to throw it all away?”
“Yes,” Matthew says, handing Gaius his key, and his ring. Then he pushes past the soldier to get to Jesus.
“I don’t get it,” Simon says, more than a little put out that his arch-nemesis Matthew the tax collector is about to become his traveling buddy.
“You didn’t get it when I chose you either,” Jesus reminds him.
“But this is different!” Simon protests.
With his newest disciple in tow, Jesus leads the way out of the market.
Matthew asks, “Where are we going?”
“A dinner party,” Mary says.
“I’m not welcome at dinner parties,” Matthew informs them.
“Well that’s not going to be a problem tonight,” Jesus says: “You’re the host.”
Background Context
Okay, for our background context, let’s take a look at a few quotes and concepts from this episode:
Name Day
According to Jewish tradition, baby boys were circumcised on the 8th day after birth, based on the Old Testament, when God tells Abraham to circumcise himself and all of his male descendants as a sign of their contract.
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner — those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
— Genesis 17:9–14
This was a big deal for Jewish families, so it’s not surprising that Zohara was upset when Nicodemus, the baby’s grandfather, was talking about not going so that he could stay in Capernaum and keep on working (aka getting to know Jesus).
“You may yet find use for it [the tablet]”
When Matthew grabs his tablet on his way out of his booth to follow Jesus, Jesus tells him that he may find use for it.
Those who are familiar with the Bible know that Matthew wrote the first gospel, so this is a nice little Easter egg :)
Thoughts on Storytelling, Writing, and Craft
This is possibly my favorite episode in the whole first season, maybe even the whole show, so far. Why?
Because of Matthew. He’s officially my favorite character. He’s an awkward social outcast, he’s ridiculously lonely, he picks up a stray dog, and he’s one of the most unlikely candidates for “Jesus disciple.”
And yet, when Jesus calls him, his shock, and the way his mouth twitches in a half smile (as if he’s not used to smiling, which is probably true) when he realizes that Jesus really means him is so endearing. Not to mention the way he drops everything and runs to Jesus, to the surprise of everyone — Gaius, and the other disciples.
The Chosen has done a fantastic job fleshing out Matthew’s character, and speculating what kind of person he must have been, as a tax collector.
Tax collectors, back in those days were so deeply hated that some believed they were irrevocably lost — incapable of being saved.
What kind of person would take on a job like that?
Perhaps a person who has experienced rejection and ostracism all his life. As Matthew says:
“When you realize that nobody else in the world cares what happens to you, you think only about yourself.”
It’s not Matthew’s fault that he has autism, but it makes it difficult for him to relate to others, and they to him. And it’s obvious that his pain didn’t start when he took on the tax collector’s job and became Public Enemy #1.
Which is why it is so meaningful when Jesus turns and picks him out of the crowd, personally, to join the disciples. Likely Jesus is the first person to show Matthew real kindness in a long, long time.
That, plus the two nature-defying miracles Matthew watched Jesus perform convince him to drop everything and follow.
Bookmarks
Some of my favorite books have certain scenes that I go to again and again and again when I just want to revisit a moment without reading the whole book.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, one of those scenes is right after Atticus loses his court case, and all of the people seated on the second-floor rise in silence to honor him as he walks away…
In The Count of Monte Cristo, there’s a moment when Morrel is about to commit suicide because he’s on the verge of bankruptcy, and his daughter rushes in with a jewel, given to her by the secretive count, and then father and daughter go outside to see their lost ship coming in to harbor, another gift from the count (long story, you should read the book)…
In The Chosen, one of those “bookmark moments” for me, from now on, will be when Jesus calls Matthew in Season 1 Episode 7. The actor, Paras Patel, plays Matthew to perfection.
Every facial expression — from the surprised flinch when Jesus calls him, the shocked “me?” and the way Jonathan Roumie, as Jesus, smiles and confirms, “yes, you” is on point.
And then the twitch of Matthew’s lips as he realizes that Jesus really is calling him, and the determination in his voice and face when Gaius tries to stop him, and he says, “Gaius — let me go!”
It’s storytelling and acting symbiosis.
Not to mention that last line, when Matthew asks where they’re going, Mary says to a dinner party, and Matthew says he’s not invited at dinner parties.
“That’s not going to be a problem tonight,” Jesus says. “You’re the host.”
Mic. Drop.
Finally, the underdog (well, as he is portrayed in this story) is about to have his story flipped upside down!
This is such an emotionally satisfying scene, and the reason why is because it’s been set up so well — from showing Matthew eating alone with the dog, his amazement at the miraculous catch of fish, the way he is spit on when he tries to see Jesus preach during the healing of the paralyzed man…all of it is leading up to this.
In many behind-the-scenes with the writers, they talked about how they tried to work backward from what they knew of where these people end up, and then create a situation that would make it particularly satisfying when the characters get there.
That technique obviously worked very well here.
Other Notes
It was clever for the writers to use the story of Moses and the bronze snake in the prologue, because it is referenced in the famous John 3 passage. Most people who grew up with a church background are familiar with 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
But not as many are familiar with what comes before:
Just as Moses lifted the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
Like how the episode shows John standing and listening off to the side as Jesus and Nicodemus talk. He is the one who records this episode in his Gospel book, after all, so it makes sense that he was there.
The Bible doesn’t say Nico was invited to follow Jesus, but he very well might have been. So there’s a great contrast between him and Matthew.
Last line
I love how the episode wraps up with a conversation between Jesus and Matthew:
Matthew says “I’m not welcome at dinner parties” so matter-of-factly, and Jesus replies with, “That won’t be a problem tonight. You’re the host.”
According to the book of Luke, which also speaks of the calling of Matthew (Levi Matthew, some call him), Matthew held a huge feast for Jesus and the other disciples after he was called. But the Bible doesn’t say explicitly whether it was his idea or Jesus’.
I kind of like the fact that the writers made it Jesus’ idea in this rendition of the story. This Matthew may not have come up with the idea on his own, considering how much he knows others hate him, he might have felt unworthy to invite Jesus to his house.
So Jesus invited himself :)
About The Chosen
The Chosen is a multi-season “binge-able” TV series based on the life of Christ and his disciples. It’s the biggest crowdfunded project in the history of TV crowdfunding, not just for faith-based projects, but ever.
If you are able and would like to contribute, you can “pay it forward” by getting yourself some swag from The Chosen gift shop or via direct donations.
(Note: I am not affiliated with the show or its creators in any way, I’m just a regular ole’ fan impressed by their storytelling skills and interested in studying it to learn more!)
Watch The Chosen for free on their website, or download the (also free) app at: https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
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