Johann Quisumbing

Spiritual Lessons for those who Listens by JQuisumbing

From time to time I would use film excerpts as helpful illustrations to biblical principles that I would teach. You wouldn’t believe how many of those that had attended Bible Study classes better comprehended Scripture principles when popular films were used as illustrations. I’ve used excerpts from Chocolat, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and even scenes from Star Wars. For biblically based scenes, I had taken scenes from classic movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Greatest Story Ever Told and yes, I’ve even used scenes from the animated feature, The Prince of Egypt. This time around, I needed a straight forward Gospel dramatization made for a contemporary audience. By the grace of the Lord, I found one.

Lately I have been watching and rewatching… and then rewatching again… THE CHOSEN. Produced and directed by Dallas Jenkins, it is a multi-season Bible based TV series depicting the life of Jesus of Nazareth. But not only that, it also features the portrayals of those chosen disciples as well as a number of antagonists who were changed one way or another when they had a close encounter with the Son of Man. Though the series had taken a lot of artistic license to the point that it was not biblically accurate (which I expected in all films), I felt that it offered enough of the right presentation for me to point to what the Bible intended. So, since the series is widely popular, I am taking advantage of it to help me get folks (especially millennials) to open their Bibles, at the very least. And I am going to start with the Credits.

I truly appreciate the title and credit opening of The Chosen. The music is catchy and if I wasn’t a quadriplegic, I would dance to it, but that is not why I love it. What I appreciate most is the graphics. I believe that Dallas Jenkins purposely intended the animated artwork to be quite simplistic. Do you remember how you would draw a fish when you were a kid?

Well, The Chosen’s opening is a school of fish silhouettes, all gray but different sizes, swimming lazily in one direction. Then, one of the fish turned green, did a complete 180 degrees and swam against the flow. After a while, another fish turned green and did the same thing. It would not be long that among a multitude of gray fish swimming one way, a smaller group of green fish swam the opposite way. 

For a little over a minute, viewers are treated to this simple aquatic visual representing the overall theme of the entire series, that is the story of the 3 year ministry of Jesus of Nazareth through the eyes of the chosen followers. I surmise that the thematic use of the fish by Dallas Jenkins stemmed from when Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow Him and become fishers of men. For the everyday folks, this would be the obvious assumption. Can this be all?

Well, if you know anything about how Jesus teaches, one favorite phrase He used was, “Those who have ears, listen!” ¹ He was and still is calling us to pay careful heed. After all, Dallas Jenkins’ opening credits is, in a sense, a visual parable and within parables, you can discover rich spiritual values. Let us look at some of the basics principles that we can glean from the visuals.

PR 1: Let us start with a gray fish turning into a green one.  I can almost hear the words of Jesus saying, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” ² Right now, I will not provide an in depth study of this verse here. That will come later when I write about the scene between Jesus and Nicodemus from episode 7 of season 1. So, what is the connection? The green fish represents the ‘born-agains’. As to the other, as long as they are gray, they will never see the Kingdom. The main point is that a true spiritual transformation is paramount.

PR 2: I hope you noticed what the transformed fish did as soon as it turned green. It turned around and swam the other way. This action should speak loudly of the next spiritual lesson for us all. Do you recall what John the Baptist proclaimed? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³

Well, what the green fish did and is still doing is the perfect illustration for repentance.

PR 3: Well, since we are already talking about the route of the greens fishes, allow me to describe when the fishes were all swimming in an endless circle.

The grays were swimming clockwise while the greens were swimming counter clockwise. This, I think, will be an appropriate time to bring up Jesus’ fork-in-the-road lesson that He gave in His Sermon on the Mount. He taught that…

“The highway to hell is broad and many choose that way. But the way to life is very narrow and difficult, and only a few ever find it.” ⁴

This lesson is somewhat hard to hear but needs to be said. I believe that Jesus had intended to first shock those who were gray among the listeners back then those who are still gray today that if they continue the same way that they are traveling which, by the way, is usually an easy and wide road, it will lead to destruction. As to those who are green, he reminds that His way being narrow and winding is a route that gloriously leads to life.

PR 4: There is one other aspect of the way to life that I left out. Not only is the way of Jesus narrow, it is also difficult. Look at the path of the green fish. Not only are they swimming the opposite way, they are swimming against the flow of the multitude of gray fishes. Have you ever walked against the flow of a crowd of people? I can testify that that crowd will not like you very much because you are in the way and they can easily lose it. And it will hurt. The Lord’s lesson for us who are green is to not only to expect it but to purposely go head on into the crowd. I will write some more of this in other postings. For now, may I encourage you with these words of Jesus.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ⁵

Now, I can think of other spiritual lessons based on the opening credits of The Chosen, but I would not want to spoil the opportunity for you to exercise your God-given intelligence to look closely and listen intently and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Meanwhile, I recommend that you watch The Chosen. But let me say that the only true source of truth about our Lord can only be found in His Word, the Holy Bible. So, as you watch the series, test it against your Bible.

To Him be all the glory.

Footnotes: [1] Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9; [2] John 3:3; [3] Matthew 3:2; [4] Matthew 7:13,14; [5] Matthew 5:9-12