The Chosen - S1E4

The Rock on Which it is Built

Summary

We open with Simon in quite a bit of a predicament leading the Roman boat to capture the Jewish men working on Shabbat.  He leads them astray and pays for it with a small wound and a deadline. Simon meets with Zebedee and his sons, James and John, to try to work out a deal to pay off his debts in exchange for not giving them up. His plan fails. Quintus further employs Matthew to spy on Simon to see if he has double-crossed him.

Shmuel tells of a man wearing camel skin preaching repentance and immersing people in the Jordan River. This “madman” called the Pharisees vipers and told them they were worthless. He is willing to speak out against the evils anyone commits. Nicodemus is intrigued by who this man is and whether he is responsible for Mary’s healing. Later he is told this man has been arrested by the Romans after Shmuel gives him up.

Simon returns to his home to find he is even in bigger trouble than he thought. Eden learns the truth and corrects Simon for relying on himself and violating God’s commandments. Andrew comes to share that the Messiah has come, but Simon is more focused on his debts. Matthew confronts Simon and informs him the deadline is moved up, and he only has until sunrise to square his debt or fulfill his obligation to turn over the Shabbat fishermen.

Simon is fishing alone in the dead of night. He cannot catch anything. As he becomes more frustrated, he ridicules God. Andrew, James, John, and Zebedee join him but it does not help. When morning comes, Simon accepts his fate and comes to shore only to find Jesus preaching and in need of his boat. After his sermon, Jesus tells Simon to cast his net one last time. You can probably guess what happens next. Simon falls at Jesus’s feet and confesses his sins, but Jesus simply informs Simon he has a new calling. Jesus calls Andrew, James, and John to follow him. Matthew cannot comprehend what he has just witnessed.

We end the episode with Nicodemus visiting John the Baptizer in prison to ask him about miracles.

Mitchell’s Insight

Simon hits rock bottom in this episode. Eden rebukes him for putting his faith in himself and not in God. Simon demonstrates how we can be driven to make immoral decisions when we are desperate and do not turn to God. This can also lead to a further spiraling that we see when Simon is accusing God. Despite these dramatic shortcomings, we also see glimmers of a good man hinted at along the way. He does come clean and admit his lies to Eden which she thanks him for. When Matthew says that he has no hope, he does not give in and says he is going to go out doing “what God made him for". We see this good man who has lost his way turn the corner when he does surrender to Andrew’s plea and casts his net one more time. I see Peter’s journey in this episode as a wonderful illustration of God always waiting for us to turn to him.

Michael’s Insight

This episode demonstrates how blinded you can be when your focus is not on God. This is best illustrated in the difference between Andrew and Simon in this episode. Andrew, even though he is in just as much trouble as Simon, never allows his personal woes to distract him from his faith. Simon lets his tax debt and his hubris divert him from his relationship with God. Andrew is able to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah just on faith alone, while Simon is not able to see the truth until the miracle of the fish.

Megan’s Insight

There are many incredible scenes in this episode that I have re-watched and taken with me to prayer such as: Eden’s discussion of caring for an aging parent, Andrew and Zebedee’s immediate faith, the parable of the net and end times, Peter’s reaction to the miracle, the simple but profound response from Jesus, and Nicodemus’s search for the truth. However, I am reflecting on a more unlikely scene. One of my favorite characters in The Chosen is Quintus, the Roman Praetor. Let's think back to the scene in this episode with Quintus and Matthew.

Now Quintus is obviously not a “good guy” within the story, but the writers have done an amazing job using this fictional character to bring color to the story and the actor Brandon Potter has truly brought this sinister figure to life. In this scene with Matthew, Quintus is racist, and his remarks are very antisemitic. However, I think we can take what he says and reflect on it within our own lives and our modern culture. 

First, Quintus says of the Jewish people, “You’re such a miserable lot. You worship one God, and yet, you’re all divided.” Christians, Jews, and Muslims all claim to worship the same one, true God but the tenets of our faith are extremely different. Think about this statistic for a minute, there are 45,000 Christian denominations across the globe. That’s a lot of division created in the relatively short time between the 16th and 21st centuries. From a secular perspective, we can look at 2022 America and realize we aren’t exactly a united people. Division is rampant in our world today, how are we any different than the Israelites?  

Next Quintus reveals what he calls a secret, “You people want to be ruled. You want an excuse to complain. It’s part of your nature.” We see Simon doing a lot of complaining during his frustration on the boat on his “last night as a free man.” In the book of Numbers Chapter 11, we read about the Israelites grumbling about manna in the desert and remembering the “free” food they received as slaves in Egypt. While wandering the desert, the Israelites actually wished out loud to return to Egypt, to return to slavery, for garlic and fish. It is easy to become slaves to our desires or to comfort. We often think of freedom as license to do whatever we want. Saint Pope John Paul II tells us, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” How often have we looked to government to solve our problems or provide for us? How often do we complain about what others have done or failed to do when we haven't done what we ought? Jesus doesn't offer us an easy life, but He does offer us true freedom. 

Do we love to hate Quintus because he reveals the truth about our fallen human nature?

Take to Prayer

Have you ever found yourself in the same position Simon finds himself in as he rows to shore? He thought he knew how to handle his difficulties himself even if that meant disobedience of God. Reflect on a time when you told God, “I got this,” only to realize it was beyond your control. How can you be more reliant on God’s plan?

Bible Verses to Read

Calling of Peter and Andrew from each Gospel

Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-42

Parable of the Fisherman’s Net

Matthew 13:47-50

Abraham’s decendants

Genesis 26: 3-4

Egyptian enslavement

Exodus 1: 8-14

Babylonian Exile

2 Kings 25: 8-12