The Glenn Beck Program - December 17, 2022


Ep 168 | 'The Only Jesus Show My Kids Will Actually Watch' | Dallas Jenkins | The Glenn Beck Podcast


Episode Stats

Length

1 hour and 16 minutes

Words per Minute

163.14029

Word Count

12,401

Sentence Count

327

Misogynist Sentences

15

Hate Speech Sentences

40


Summary

The Chosen creator, co-writer, and executive producer, and the director of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, joins Glenn Beck on the Glenn Beck Podcast to talk about the incredible success of the Netflix drama, "The Chosen," and the impact it has had on our culture.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Today's guest is the creator, the co-writer, the executive producer, and the director of The Chosen.
00:00:07.680 I think it's the best TV show on there, online, on television.
00:00:15.860 It is by far the best story of Jesus Christ I've seen in my lifetime.
00:00:21.260 Because it's so incredibly different, and you see the story in a way you've not seen before.
00:00:28.100 There is no shortage of hokey Jesus movies that somehow find a way to be too preachy or botch the greatest story ever told.
00:00:38.720 Usually a PG version that completely skips over the violence that Christ endured, or just the general living condition.
00:00:47.720 Just the white robes. I mean, I do believe it was dusty, at least.
00:00:53.260 If you're Mel Gibson, maybe you miss the opposite reason, and you show the brutality of it all, but it also kind of misses the kindness.
00:01:07.760 The Chosen breaks both of these.
00:01:10.580 It has a chance to, because it's episodic, has two years going on its third season now.
00:01:17.800 It does something that no other depiction of Christ has ever done.
00:01:21.620 It shows him laughing and smiling, joking, dancing.
00:01:26.260 But what makes The Chosen so impressive is that it is a great piece of art in the same way that, you know, the Sopranos,
00:01:39.200 the Godfather is a good piece of art, kind of the opposite of those, but it's beautiful.
00:01:48.500 It began with a short video on Facebook and then grew into the largest ever crowdfunding campaign for a media project.
00:01:55.860 It aired online for free using a pay-it-forward model, an app for The Chosen, skyrocketed in popularity on both iOS and Android.
00:02:07.540 And around that time, I had today's guest on the podcast just a few days, I think it was before Easter.
00:02:15.340 That Sunday, 750,000 people live-streamed the season two premiere.
00:02:21.280 From there, The Chosen has grown exponentially, from streaming on YouTube and Facebook to ranking fourth in shows searched on Roku.
00:02:32.300 Before long, it had half a billion episode views from all around the world.
00:02:37.660 It hasn't even been translated yet.
00:02:39.940 It got picked up by NBC's Peacock and Prime Video, and earlier this year, it was added to Netflix.
00:02:46.700 Season three debuted last month in over 2,000 theaters worldwide.
00:02:54.520 It had, I believe, 14 million tuning in.
00:03:02.320 It will be dubbed into 100 languages, subtitled into 500, and there are still four seasons to go.
00:03:10.540 This unparalleled growth is miraculous, and it comes at a time when intellectuals are pushing the narrative that Christianity is dead and atheism is our future.
00:03:22.780 As the Apostle Paul wrote,
00:03:24.800 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.
00:03:33.520 The Chosen is a much-needed reminder that Christ is alive and encouraging us to walk with Him in the newness of life.
00:03:43.580 Today on the Glenn Beck Podcast, welcome, Dallas Jenkins.
00:03:48.500 What a perfect message for today's podcast.
00:03:51.480 I want to talk to you about pre-born.
00:03:53.060 You know, in Luke chapter 1, it's not the Jesus' birth story.
00:03:59.980 It's actually the story of John the Baptist and his miracle birth.
00:04:05.020 He was the one that came before the Lord to till the ground and prepare the way.
00:04:12.320 If you believe in that and you believe the Bible, it just continually repeats.
00:04:19.960 It just shows us patterns to look for.
00:04:23.060 I think that means that the children that are being born now and in these days may very possibly be the John the Baptist preparing the way.
00:04:37.960 I think there's going to be lots of them.
00:04:40.120 That's why it is so crucial that we pay attention to what is happening with abortion.
00:04:49.960 All of these babies.
00:04:51.880 Do you know this audience has saved 40, 45 or 46,000 babies?
00:04:57.960 You name them.
00:04:59.400 They live today because this audience sent in some money so that these women could have ultrasounds.
00:05:06.940 And that was the key to saving their life.
00:05:10.440 47,000.
00:05:12.660 Holy cow.
00:05:13.640 For $28 right now, you can rescue a baby's life.
00:05:19.160 $140 sponsors five ultrasounds.
00:05:22.060 That could be five babies.
00:05:24.160 And now through a match, your gift will be doubled.
00:05:26.940 100% of your donation is going to go towards saving babies.
00:05:30.740 Our goal is to save 50 on the blaze, 50 on my program.
00:05:35.640 That's 100,000 babies.
00:05:38.840 Please dial pound 250.
00:05:41.280 Say the keyword baby.
00:05:42.540 That's pound 250.
00:05:44.040 Keyword baby.
00:05:45.120 Or donate securely at preborn.com slash Glenn.
00:05:50.260 Season three of The Chosen is out.
00:05:53.600 Here's the trailer.
00:05:55.640 You look troubled.
00:05:58.260 I am.
00:05:59.700 You're losing something.
00:06:01.840 I know what that's like.
00:06:02.880 What are you losing?
00:06:08.880 Time.
00:06:12.000 I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
00:06:20.620 Someone touched me.
00:06:23.120 If you are really the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?
00:06:28.400 Go and tell John what you hear and see.
00:06:31.280 Who is it?
00:06:32.040 Where did we start?
00:06:34.280 It's him.
00:06:37.320 I'm Judas of Kerioth.
00:06:39.860 I have chosen you 12 as my apostles.
00:06:44.260 Don't feel any different?
00:06:45.860 I don't need you to feel anything to do great things.
00:06:50.720 What is stirring in your hearts,
00:06:53.040 in the middle of such division and unrest,
00:06:57.500 is Father God being revealed to you?
00:07:01.620 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
00:07:12.280 and I will give you rest.
00:07:13.920 Jesus, if you do not renounce your words,
00:07:28.540 we will have no choice but to follow the law of Moses.
00:07:32.960 Jesus, I am the law of Moses.
00:07:42.240 They're here for Jesus of Nazareth.
00:07:44.140 more valuable than gold,
00:07:46.780 more precious than rubies.
00:07:49.420 Force them out.
00:07:50.800 We are still grown.
00:07:52.360 everyone, then, who hears these words of mine
00:08:01.040 and does them
00:08:02.820 will be like a wise man
00:08:05.020 who built his house on the rock.
00:08:08.320 If I'm the one who caused their hunger,
00:08:11.820 I should be the one to feed them.
00:08:20.080 He who has ears to hear,
00:08:22.400 let him hear.
00:08:36.640 How are you, Dallas?
00:08:37.540 I'm good.
00:08:38.280 I'm glad to be here.
00:08:39.200 It's so good to have you.
00:08:41.360 You know, I was singing it before the interview.
00:08:43.500 I was singing about it yesterday,
00:08:45.820 and I thought,
00:08:47.720 I remember interviewing your father on Left Behind.
00:08:51.640 Yeah.
00:08:53.720 I don't think it's a stretch
00:08:56.020 to say in my lifetime,
00:09:01.080 because I wasn't born with Cecil B. DeMille.
00:09:03.480 Right.
00:09:03.740 But in my lifetime,
00:09:05.120 I believe you and your father
00:09:09.200 have preached the gospel
00:09:15.820 in a different way
00:09:17.380 and hit more people, probably,
00:09:19.900 than anybody else that I know.
00:09:21.820 You've done remarkable things.
00:09:27.880 You ever thought of that?
00:09:29.840 Do your dad ever think about that?
00:09:31.820 Well, my dad right now
00:09:32.920 is too busy finding new buttons for his shirt
00:09:36.060 because his shirts keep bursting.
00:09:38.660 He's very, very proud, obviously.
00:09:40.540 It's been fun to watch.
00:09:43.200 We occasionally sit there and go,
00:09:45.060 what is happening?
00:09:45.860 How is this possible that this would happen?
00:09:48.280 You know, it was 25 years ago
00:09:49.600 that the first Left Behind books came out.
00:09:52.160 And that's, what was it, 60 million copies?
00:09:55.040 Yeah, 60, 70 million, something like that.
00:09:56.720 Yeah.
00:09:56.800 For whatever reason,
00:09:59.480 we don't know this side of heaven, why,
00:10:02.780 but God seems to have chosen my dad
00:10:06.460 25 years ago and now me
00:10:08.340 to deliver the story of Jesus to the world
00:10:13.260 in a unique way
00:10:14.440 but that's still faithful
00:10:15.780 to the intentions of the scriptures.
00:10:18.580 And it's something that I'm,
00:10:22.180 I feel like I got a good front row seat
00:10:24.600 on the bus to watch it happen
00:10:26.560 but I, because I don't think
00:10:27.820 I'm responsible for it,
00:10:28.880 I just get a chance to watch it happen.
00:10:30.580 It's pretty cool.
00:10:32.320 It is, it's just the best Jesus prediction,
00:10:36.000 I mean, depiction I've ever seen.
00:10:38.400 It is a remarkable series
00:10:40.740 and the only Jesus thing
00:10:44.360 that my children will actually
00:10:46.040 sit down and watch with me.
00:10:47.640 It's so accessible.
00:10:49.600 The Jesus you picked to play Jesus
00:10:55.780 is so different than I think most Jesus,
00:11:02.080 you know, he looks different,
00:11:04.480 he talks differently
00:11:06.300 and why did you pick him?
00:11:09.440 It was about seven or eight years ago
00:11:10.980 when the Chosen actually first
00:11:13.480 had its birth pangs,
00:11:15.100 which was part of a big church
00:11:17.000 that I was part of in Chicago.
00:11:18.400 We had huge Good Friday services.
00:11:20.720 We would do,
00:11:21.840 every Good Friday we'd have
00:11:24.220 about seven or eight services,
00:11:26.000 several thousand people apiece would come
00:11:27.900 and I did a short film.
00:11:30.380 It was called The Two Thieves
00:11:31.460 and it was about the crucifixion
00:11:33.140 but from the perspective
00:11:34.020 of the two thieves on the cross
00:11:35.340 and I was casting the two thieves
00:11:38.080 who were the main characters.
00:11:39.120 Jesus doesn't show up in the short film
00:11:40.800 until the end
00:11:41.420 when they're on the cross
00:11:42.640 and they meet him.
00:11:43.300 And so Jonathan Rumi,
00:11:46.680 who now plays Jesus in The Chosen,
00:11:48.620 he auditioned for one of the thieves
00:11:49.980 and did a great job
00:11:51.160 but there were two other guys
00:11:52.020 who were really good
00:11:52.580 and the people who were auditioning
00:11:54.700 for Jesus were really bad
00:11:55.960 and I'm like,
00:11:57.460 I need a,
00:11:58.960 I said,
00:11:59.340 you know,
00:11:59.500 I know this is a supporting role
00:12:01.460 in this short film
00:12:02.520 but he's got to be good.
00:12:03.640 We need a good Jesus.
00:12:05.120 And I said,
00:12:05.460 that Jonathan guy
00:12:06.140 seemed to be,
00:12:06.960 you know,
00:12:07.200 seemed to have a good tenderness
00:12:08.240 about him
00:12:08.780 that I think would be interesting.
00:12:10.320 So he auditions for Jesus
00:12:12.220 for my little short film
00:12:13.600 and 10 seconds into it,
00:12:15.100 I saw what you see now.
00:12:17.420 Yeah, yeah.
00:12:18.120 Something,
00:12:19.140 there's something special.
00:12:20.260 Yeah.
00:12:20.620 And I was like,
00:12:21.260 It's kindness.
00:12:22.240 Yes,
00:12:22.600 but with masculinity.
00:12:24.080 Yes.
00:12:24.180 It's not like a weak,
00:12:26.020 Yes.
00:12:26.720 kind of passive,
00:12:27.780 wallflower kindness
00:12:29.080 that you sometimes see
00:12:30.200 in Jesus' portrayals
00:12:31.060 where he's so formal
00:12:31.880 and,
00:12:32.280 you know,
00:12:34.080 distant and soft.
00:12:37.640 So,
00:12:37.880 he's your best friend
00:12:39.020 and a fierce lion
00:12:40.320 at the same time.
00:12:41.140 Oh, yeah.
00:12:41.560 Yeah.
00:12:41.820 And as we say
00:12:42.720 in Chronicles of Narnia,
00:12:43.700 he's not a tame lion.
00:12:46.400 But,
00:12:47.400 all that to say,
00:12:49.420 we then,
00:12:50.360 I shot this short film,
00:12:51.420 it was in a rock quarry
00:12:52.640 in Illinois,
00:12:53.760 almost as cold
00:12:54.700 as it is in this studio
00:12:56.120 right now.
00:12:57.840 And,
00:12:58.320 he,
00:13:01.000 and there was about
00:13:02.280 five minutes
00:13:02.800 of screen time
00:13:03.800 where he's on the cross
00:13:04.880 and I'm just like,
00:13:05.600 my goodness,
00:13:06.640 we got to do more of this.
00:13:08.260 So,
00:13:08.480 each year,
00:13:09.120 each Good Friday,
00:13:10.140 I would bring him back
00:13:11.320 and we would do vignettes
00:13:12.780 and it was always,
00:13:13.880 short films or vignettes,
00:13:16.040 stories of Jesus,
00:13:18.220 but from different perspectives,
00:13:20.540 honoring the scriptures,
00:13:22.480 but seeing it
00:13:23.460 through different lens.
00:13:26.180 And,
00:13:26.460 that's where we were
00:13:27.120 kind of formulating,
00:13:28.060 I think,
00:13:28.960 some of,
00:13:29.280 we were finding it.
00:13:30.160 That was where we first,
00:13:31.060 I did a Jesus joke.
00:13:32.800 A couple,
00:13:33.180 a couple,
00:13:33.780 there was a short film
00:13:34.500 I did where
00:13:35.000 Jesus is with the disciples
00:13:36.640 and the disciples
00:13:37.500 are arm wrestling
00:13:38.160 and Andrew defeats Thaddeus,
00:13:42.340 which is a surprise
00:13:43.140 to the disciples
00:13:44.300 and one of the disciples
00:13:45.460 says,
00:13:45.680 I can't believe Andrew won
00:13:46.640 and Jesus says,
00:13:47.420 even I didn't see that coming.
00:13:49.400 And I saw,
00:13:50.720 when we showed
00:13:52.100 that short film
00:13:52.860 in the church,
00:13:54.980 the response
00:13:55.900 to Jesus telling a joke
00:13:57.440 and to being funny
00:13:59.060 and even a joke
00:14:00.380 about his own divinity,
00:14:01.260 the response
00:14:03.040 was this response
00:14:04.060 of like,
00:14:05.220 it was laughter,
00:14:06.320 but it was almost
00:14:06.780 like gratitude,
00:14:08.140 like,
00:14:08.620 oh,
00:14:09.420 and I had people
00:14:10.080 coming up to me
00:14:10.620 saying,
00:14:11.060 thank you for
00:14:11.880 showing Jesus
00:14:13.200 as someone
00:14:13.900 who would have fun.
00:14:15.400 He was a man.
00:14:16.180 Yeah,
00:14:16.640 who would hang
00:14:17.240 with his disciples
00:14:18.000 and that they would
00:14:18.880 make a joke like that.
00:14:20.460 And that's when
00:14:21.300 it was again,
00:14:21.860 like,
00:14:22.060 there's something there.
00:14:23.100 And so when it came time,
00:14:24.500 the opportunity came
00:14:25.200 to do the show,
00:14:26.340 obviously Jonathan
00:14:27.120 was the first one
00:14:28.000 that I cast.
00:14:28.660 his life has
00:14:30.900 had to have changed.
00:14:33.560 Oh.
00:14:33.760 I mean,
00:14:34.000 and it,
00:14:35.980 I mean,
00:14:37.480 it has to be
00:14:39.320 a heavy mantle
00:14:41.260 just walking around.
00:14:43.800 Yeah.
00:14:44.360 People will see him
00:14:45.560 and he's not Jesus,
00:14:47.420 but he is Jesus.
00:14:49.080 And I can't imagine
00:14:51.840 what his life is like.
00:14:53.120 He's,
00:14:53.580 he's wrestling with it.
00:14:54.740 I bet.
00:14:55.420 Yeah.
00:14:55.580 He,
00:14:56.040 he has a good,
00:14:58.120 centered head
00:14:59.860 on his shoulders.
00:15:00.700 He's a believer.
00:15:01.480 He knows
00:15:02.080 that this is not,
00:15:03.880 I mean,
00:15:04.160 I think the thing
00:15:04.780 that's most uncomfortable
00:15:05.800 for him
00:15:06.500 is the fact
00:15:08.140 that he's not Jesus.
00:15:09.520 And yet,
00:15:09.900 when he gets recognized,
00:15:12.200 the first thing
00:15:13.260 people say is Jesus.
00:15:14.500 You know,
00:15:15.040 now they know
00:15:16.040 he's not Jesus too.
00:15:17.620 But there are some people
00:15:18.900 for whom this portrayal
00:15:20.280 in the show
00:15:20.840 has changed their life.
00:15:22.300 I mean,
00:15:22.440 I experienced it.
00:15:23.160 When I,
00:15:23.340 when I get recognized
00:15:24.060 in an airport
00:15:24.580 or whatever,
00:15:25.180 people don't treat me
00:15:26.000 like a celebrity.
00:15:26.800 They,
00:15:27.880 they come up
00:15:28.320 and they start crying.
00:15:29.260 Yeah.
00:15:29.740 And they,
00:15:30.100 they just want to say,
00:15:30.840 thank you.
00:15:31.340 Yeah.
00:15:31.840 And they'll say,
00:15:32.480 my life has changed
00:15:33.620 or my relationship
00:15:34.500 with my dad
00:15:35.360 has changed
00:15:36.240 or my,
00:15:36.640 my kids
00:15:37.360 are for the first time,
00:15:39.280 you know,
00:15:40.220 considering Jesus
00:15:42.400 because of,
00:15:43.300 so now that's just me.
00:15:44.960 Think about it
00:15:45.680 when they meet the guy
00:15:46.480 who's playing him
00:15:47.200 and sometimes they,
00:15:48.200 they have a hard time.
00:15:49.880 Yeah,
00:15:50.100 I know.
00:15:50.860 And so he's,
00:15:52.560 he gets it.
00:15:53.380 He knows the difference
00:15:54.380 between him and Jesus,
00:15:55.280 but he does wrestle
00:15:56.180 with being recognized
00:15:57.840 and being treated
00:15:58.560 the way that he's treated
00:15:59.960 sometimes.
00:16:00.740 I know Jim Caviezel
00:16:01.600 quite well.
00:16:03.100 Have they talked?
00:16:04.460 They haven't.
00:16:05.500 They,
00:16:05.820 they have a lot of
00:16:07.000 mutual friends
00:16:08.660 and eventually
00:16:09.100 it's going to happen.
00:16:09.680 Jonathan has said
00:16:10.300 eventually the,
00:16:11.080 that we'll meet
00:16:11.760 and the meeting of Jesus.
00:16:12.880 Yeah.
00:16:13.240 And the world will collide.
00:16:15.320 There'll be some sort
00:16:16.300 of cosmic disaster perhaps
00:16:18.820 or,
00:16:19.060 or it'll be awesome.
00:16:20.260 But either way,
00:16:21.000 I know that played
00:16:21.760 heavy,
00:16:22.660 heavy on,
00:16:24.620 on Jim for a long time.
00:16:26.540 Yeah.
00:16:26.780 But I think that part of,
00:16:28.320 I think there is a difference
00:16:29.180 between us and the passion
00:16:30.020 of the Christ too.
00:16:30.720 And that I think there is
00:16:32.520 in,
00:16:33.120 in the chosen
00:16:33.720 because of the multi-season
00:16:35.140 format and the time
00:16:36.260 that we take,
00:16:37.100 I do think that Caviezel
00:16:39.140 might've experienced
00:16:39.960 even more of what
00:16:41.800 Jonathan is experiencing
00:16:42.800 because passion of the Christ
00:16:44.620 was so,
00:16:46.000 I mean,
00:16:46.140 it was,
00:16:46.300 it was about,
00:16:47.080 yeah,
00:16:47.240 it was so big and epic
00:16:48.440 and,
00:16:48.660 and Jonathan's portrayal
00:16:50.980 as we do it,
00:16:51.860 there is a humanity there
00:16:52.960 that makes him
00:16:53.520 a little bit more accessible.
00:16:54.440 I think when people see Jim,
00:16:55.420 sometimes there's almost
00:16:56.220 a reverence.
00:16:57.600 Whereas with Jonathan,
00:16:58.080 it was just the last part,
00:17:00.860 you know.
00:17:01.780 And,
00:17:02.040 and,
00:17:02.500 and Mel's filmmaking style,
00:17:04.360 again,
00:17:04.540 very,
00:17:04.840 very dramatic.
00:17:06.260 It was beautiful.
00:17:07.260 Very,
00:17:08.040 mine is a little bit more,
00:17:10.000 I don't know if raw
00:17:11.360 is the right word,
00:17:12.160 but.
00:17:12.420 I don't know.
00:17:13.200 Your filmmaking is absolutely,
00:17:15.740 stunningly beautiful.
00:17:17.240 Well,
00:17:17.480 thank you,
00:17:17.860 thank you.
00:17:18.220 But I think,
00:17:18.840 but I,
00:17:19.020 but I would say it's,
00:17:19.860 it's probably more because of the,
00:17:21.600 the smallness of it.
00:17:23.380 It's,
00:17:23.580 I don't,
00:17:24.080 I'm not trying to do a big epic
00:17:25.560 like Mel was.
00:17:27.320 For me,
00:17:27.660 it's about the,
00:17:28.280 the humanity,
00:17:29.120 the small moments,
00:17:29.920 the rawness of it.
00:17:30.580 So when people see Jonathan,
00:17:31.480 there's almost,
00:17:31.980 there's an accessibility.
00:17:33.200 Yeah.
00:17:33.520 Where they're like,
00:17:33.800 they want to come up and hug him.
00:17:34.860 Yeah.
00:17:35.180 You know,
00:17:35.480 and that's,
00:17:36.100 that's been interesting.
00:17:37.020 The other thing that you did
00:17:38.820 that I,
00:17:39.320 I love,
00:17:40.860 and I,
00:17:42.020 I don't know if I've ever
00:17:45.640 really seen it before,
00:17:47.260 at least portrayed as well
00:17:49.480 as you have done it.
00:17:51.320 The apostles are not apostles.
00:17:54.580 You know what I mean?
00:17:55.080 They're not,
00:17:55.580 they're not the apostles
00:17:56.880 that you expect.
00:17:58.200 There was a scene last season,
00:18:01.200 it was towards the end,
00:18:03.320 where Jesus is just nonstop healing.
00:18:06.760 And you feel so bad for Jesus
00:18:10.080 because he's there by himself,
00:18:12.860 drained.
00:18:14.180 And they're having this normal conversation,
00:18:17.820 not really paying attention,
00:18:19.420 not really,
00:18:20.480 not doing what apostles would do,
00:18:22.640 you would think.
00:18:24.060 And,
00:18:24.760 and even arguments back and forth,
00:18:27.400 they have no clue
00:18:28.780 as to what they're dealing with.
00:18:30.360 Right.
00:18:31.500 Yeah.
00:18:32.480 Why that choice?
00:18:33.780 Yeah.
00:18:33.980 So it's a great question.
00:18:34.980 So that was episode three
00:18:36.000 of season two.
00:18:37.540 It's based on Matthew 4,
00:18:39.500 24,
00:18:39.820 which it said,
00:18:40.540 Jesus was healing
00:18:41.420 all kinds of people,
00:18:42.460 just lines of people
00:18:43.380 coming from,
00:18:43.960 you know,
00:18:44.180 from Syria and Damascus.
00:18:46.900 Yeah.
00:18:47.260 So instead of showing
00:18:48.840 all the healings,
00:18:49.580 I take you backstage.
00:18:51.200 And so we,
00:18:52.980 we spent time
00:18:53.880 with the disciples
00:18:54.700 and,
00:18:55.200 and it's still early
00:18:56.180 in the ministry.
00:18:56.720 So they're wrestling
00:18:57.620 with all of this.
00:18:58.900 So he's the Messiah.
00:19:00.420 Why,
00:19:00.600 why haven't we overthrown
00:19:01.860 the Romans yet?
00:19:02.700 What's,
00:19:03.200 what's that about?
00:19:04.340 Why did he choose me?
00:19:05.680 I'm,
00:19:06.240 I'm not a student
00:19:07.420 like,
00:19:07.900 like typical rabbi,
00:19:09.240 rabbinical students.
00:19:09.960 I was a fisherman.
00:19:10.660 And so they're wrestling
00:19:12.040 with all of that.
00:19:13.120 Well,
00:19:13.420 one thing leads to another
00:19:14.320 and they start arguing
00:19:15.300 and in the midst
00:19:17.640 of their argument,
00:19:18.780 like where the argument
00:19:19.480 reaches a height,
00:19:20.360 because again,
00:19:20.980 think about this.
00:19:22.160 Matthew was a tax collector.
00:19:24.320 Jews hated tax collectors.
00:19:26.260 They were betrayers
00:19:27.780 of their people.
00:19:28.120 Such a great depiction
00:19:29.260 of him.
00:19:29.860 Yeah.
00:19:30.120 And even Jesus,
00:19:31.340 when Jesus would speak
00:19:32.180 of tax collectors,
00:19:32.880 it wasn't positive.
00:19:34.800 And then you've got,
00:19:36.440 he's called
00:19:37.320 as one of the followers
00:19:38.240 and now he's living with
00:19:39.420 and spending time
00:19:40.140 with these other disciples
00:19:41.000 who would have hated him.
00:19:41.880 So they're arguing
00:19:42.480 and arguing and arguing
00:19:43.160 and in the midst
00:19:43.620 of the argument,
00:19:44.840 Jesus just walks by.
00:19:46.100 He's been healing
00:19:46.620 for probably eight hours.
00:19:48.640 There's blood on him,
00:19:50.080 pouring sweat,
00:19:51.420 power's drained out of him.
00:19:52.640 He can barely stand up.
00:19:53.880 His mother helps him
00:19:54.760 into bed,
00:19:55.440 just beautiful.
00:19:56.260 Well, all he does
00:19:56.920 is say goodnight
00:19:57.680 and they're all just like,
00:20:00.120 ugh,
00:20:01.260 you know,
00:20:01.760 like we suck,
00:20:04.020 you know?
00:20:04.440 Yeah.
00:20:05.080 And so that's the answer.
00:20:07.660 Why that choice?
00:20:08.680 I've been to Rome.
00:20:09.860 I've been to,
00:20:10.700 I'm not a Catholic,
00:20:11.580 but I've been to Catholic basilicas.
00:20:12.800 They're beautiful.
00:20:13.680 I've seen the stained glass windows.
00:20:15.320 I've seen the statues.
00:20:17.260 There's something.
00:20:17.940 Michelangelo.
00:20:18.460 Right.
00:20:19.080 There's something to the reverence,
00:20:20.820 but for me,
00:20:21.460 it's like,
00:20:22.880 yeah,
00:20:23.240 I don't,
00:20:24.220 they were,
00:20:24.760 they were human beings.
00:20:25.820 They were guys.
00:20:26.540 They screwed up.
00:20:27.700 They were,
00:20:28.460 they were just like us.
00:20:29.480 And I feel like seeing Jesus
00:20:31.060 through the eyes of those
00:20:32.260 who actually met him
00:20:33.160 and who had the same questions
00:20:35.120 and doubts
00:20:35.780 and struggles
00:20:36.600 that we do today.
00:20:38.460 I want to communicate
00:20:39.480 that the answer
00:20:40.580 and the solution
00:20:41.300 to those questions
00:20:42.600 and struggles
00:20:43.160 is the same today
00:20:44.060 as it was 2000 years ago.
00:20:45.320 But if I don't show you
00:20:46.760 the questions
00:20:47.800 and the struggles
00:20:48.400 and the humanity,
00:20:49.800 then there's not much
00:20:51.420 for you to connect with.
00:20:52.580 And so then the answer
00:20:53.460 doesn't,
00:20:53.940 isn't as connectable either.
00:20:56.000 So what I hear from viewers
00:20:57.280 is they go,
00:20:57.800 that's me.
00:20:58.420 Simon,
00:20:58.760 Simon is me.
00:20:59.660 Matthew is me.
00:21:01.040 And because of that,
00:21:02.300 then when Jesus
00:21:03.260 heals their wounds,
00:21:04.980 it's like,
00:21:05.320 well,
00:21:05.480 maybe he can heal mine too.
00:21:07.320 And you,
00:21:08.020 it's,
00:21:09.300 it's interesting
00:21:10.000 because you look at,
00:21:11.580 you know,
00:21:13.700 you talk about going
00:21:15.160 to the Vatican
00:21:15.720 and seeing the stained glass
00:21:16.640 windows and everything else
00:21:17.440 and,
00:21:17.900 and the majesty of that.
00:21:20.380 People,
00:21:21.200 I'll say
00:21:21.860 at times,
00:21:25.080 Jesus is my best friend.
00:21:27.100 He is my best friend.
00:21:28.640 And I,
00:21:29.160 I just talk to him.
00:21:30.600 You know what I mean?
00:21:31.700 Um,
00:21:32.260 and I've had people
00:21:33.940 look at me and go,
00:21:35.020 he is
00:21:36.660 the Lord of Lords,
00:21:39.320 King of Kings.
00:21:40.360 And I'm like,
00:21:41.640 yeah,
00:21:41.940 I know.
00:21:42.360 And,
00:21:43.080 and that has set me
00:21:44.340 that there are two ways
00:21:45.600 that we have to appreciate.
00:21:47.580 We must worship him
00:21:50.260 as a king on a throne
00:21:53.300 and humble ourself.
00:21:55.680 But there is also
00:21:57.400 the kindness
00:22:00.340 that he has,
00:22:02.120 you know?
00:22:03.980 The thing that
00:22:05.440 some people were skeptical of
00:22:07.760 when the show first came out
00:22:09.780 was,
00:22:12.240 well,
00:22:12.420 if you,
00:22:12.760 if you humanize him too much,
00:22:14.860 like the episode three
00:22:16.480 of season one
00:22:17.160 where you see him
00:22:17.920 making camp
00:22:19.000 and,
00:22:19.260 and dressing his own wound
00:22:20.680 and making his own food
00:22:21.780 and start trying to start a fire
00:22:23.260 and doing his bedtime prayer.
00:22:26.160 There are some people
00:22:27.020 who were like,
00:22:27.580 well,
00:22:27.740 the risk is
00:22:28.560 you're taking away
00:22:29.480 from his divinity.
00:22:30.300 But he wouldn't have gone,
00:22:33.280 poof,
00:22:33.660 start the fire.
00:22:34.620 Exactly.
00:22:35.520 And I,
00:22:36.280 I believe,
00:22:37.400 and,
00:22:37.540 and,
00:22:37.700 and I can say this
00:22:39.240 pretty confidently
00:22:41.060 because it's what we've heard
00:22:42.560 from millions of people
00:22:43.600 is that it not only
00:22:45.100 doesn't detract
00:22:45.680 from his humanity,
00:22:46.380 if anything,
00:22:46.900 it enhances it.
00:22:47.980 it makes it even more impressive.
00:22:50.700 It makes him more humble.
00:22:52.060 Because you go,
00:22:53.040 the creator of the universe
00:22:54.260 is doing this,
00:22:55.720 became one of us.
00:22:56.960 Yes.
00:22:57.420 He didn't sin,
00:22:58.360 but he knows what we felt.
00:22:59.960 He,
00:23:00.360 he did what we did.
00:23:01.740 He,
00:23:02.180 he,
00:23:02.800 he,
00:23:03.120 he,
00:23:03.860 he,
00:23:04.140 we even portray him as,
00:23:05.500 as like,
00:23:05.940 that he was a clumsy teenager,
00:23:07.540 you know,
00:23:08.080 like,
00:23:08.920 he,
00:23:09.820 he didn't sin,
00:23:10.780 but he,
00:23:11.140 but he,
00:23:11.520 he was a human being.
00:23:12.480 Now,
00:23:12.880 the whole God,
00:23:13.800 man,
00:23:14.920 conundrum has vexed us
00:23:16.320 for 2,000 years.
00:23:17.300 We will never understand it,
00:23:18.720 but we do know
00:23:19.480 he laughed and danced
00:23:21.400 at weddings
00:23:21.900 with his friends.
00:23:23.240 The first miracle
00:23:23.900 ever he did
00:23:24.380 was a favor for his friends
00:23:25.460 because his mom asked him to.
00:23:27.160 The phrase,
00:23:28.080 the term Emmanuel
00:23:29.060 means God with us.
00:23:30.540 It's typically a Christmas term.
00:23:31.840 That's typically
00:23:32.380 right around this time of year
00:23:33.500 we're talking about Emmanuel.
00:23:34.760 It's not just a Christmas term.
00:23:35.860 It means God with us.
00:23:38.200 Why,
00:23:38.740 why did he dress his own wounds
00:23:40.900 and make his own food?
00:23:41.840 Because God was with us.
00:23:43.380 That is an extraordinary concept.
00:23:45.340 And I think when that,
00:23:46.120 when you,
00:23:46.440 when that hits you
00:23:47.060 and you go,
00:23:48.160 that's the creator
00:23:48.740 of the universe
00:23:49.300 and he hung out
00:23:51.060 with his disciples
00:23:51.800 and was a human being,
00:23:53.700 I think it makes it
00:23:54.460 even more humbling.
00:23:55.380 Oh,
00:23:55.580 I agree.
00:23:56.080 And then,
00:23:56.460 of course,
00:23:56.980 as you know,
00:23:58.020 it's even more
00:23:58.680 of an example.
00:23:59.640 It's more of a,
00:24:00.820 that's,
00:24:01.200 it's the,
00:24:01.840 it's the first being last.
00:24:03.780 Yes.
00:24:03.980 I mean,
00:24:04.140 that is the,
00:24:05.720 you know,
00:24:05.960 you've always heard,
00:24:06.800 well,
00:24:07.400 General Patton ate
00:24:08.480 after all his troops.
00:24:09.660 Yeah.
00:24:11.300 Jesus
00:24:11.660 served us.
00:24:14.060 I mean,
00:24:14.640 that's crazy humbling.
00:24:16.800 Crazy humbling.
00:24:17.860 I want to play a clip.
00:24:19.520 And this is an exchange
00:24:21.000 between Jesus
00:24:22.220 and Little James.
00:24:23.840 Watch.
00:24:29.340 Master.
00:24:32.060 Little James.
00:24:34.920 May I have a moment?
00:24:36.040 Of course.
00:24:39.300 I am.
00:24:43.060 Forgive me,
00:24:43.800 I'm not always
00:24:45.420 confident to speak.
00:24:48.140 Slow to speak.
00:24:49.480 That's a very good quality.
00:24:53.440 I wanted to ask you
00:24:55.680 a question.
00:24:56.480 Please.
00:24:59.300 You're sending us out
00:25:00.500 with the ability
00:25:01.060 to heal the sick in lane.
00:25:03.720 Yes,
00:25:04.000 that,
00:25:04.460 that is what you said.
00:25:06.040 Yes.
00:25:07.340 So you're telling me
00:25:08.200 that I have the ability
00:25:09.860 to heal.
00:25:15.620 Forgive me,
00:25:16.420 I just
00:25:16.780 find that difficult
00:25:18.980 to imagine
00:25:19.640 with my condition.
00:25:23.980 Which you haven't healed.
00:25:28.020 Do you want to be healed?
00:25:33.480 Yes.
00:25:34.000 Of course,
00:25:35.920 if that's possible.
00:25:37.740 I think you've seen enough
00:25:38.800 to know it's possible.
00:25:45.380 Why haven't you?
00:25:52.100 So the actor who
00:25:53.220 plays Little James
00:25:55.000 is,
00:25:55.880 has
00:25:56.720 cerebral palsy
00:25:59.000 and scoliosis.
00:25:59.760 you know,
00:26:00.820 in real life.
00:26:02.080 So when I cast him,
00:26:04.140 I knew I was eventually
00:26:05.480 going to have to do this scene.
00:26:09.080 Which is
00:26:09.960 one of the
00:26:12.480 toughest
00:26:13.100 questions
00:26:14.160 that believers
00:26:15.100 and non-believers
00:26:15.980 have ever
00:26:17.180 faced,
00:26:18.160 which is,
00:26:18.620 why does he heal
00:26:19.300 some and not others?
00:26:20.740 Why
00:26:21.180 does a good God
00:26:22.520 allow suffering?
00:26:23.280 So finally,
00:26:26.660 in season three,
00:26:27.500 I was like,
00:26:27.860 I can't wait any longer
00:26:28.880 because there's a scene,
00:26:30.800 I shouldn't call it a scene,
00:26:32.340 a passage in the Gospels
00:26:33.340 where Jesus sends out
00:26:34.320 the disciples
00:26:34.820 two by two
00:26:35.540 and they heal
00:26:36.160 and they cast out demons
00:26:37.220 and they preach the word.
00:26:38.240 It's a temporary
00:26:38.840 moment during the ministry
00:26:40.740 where he grants them
00:26:41.680 this authority.
00:26:42.960 And I just thought,
00:26:43.900 what would Little James
00:26:45.180 think of that?
00:26:46.000 He's going to be
00:26:46.740 asked to heal others
00:26:47.760 and yet he still
00:26:48.400 has this malady.
00:26:49.240 And so
00:26:49.660 that question
00:26:52.620 is one that I guess
00:26:53.440 I had
00:26:53.840 the craziness
00:26:55.720 to try to answer.
00:26:57.880 It was beautiful.
00:26:59.440 What is it like
00:27:00.580 on the set?
00:27:02.460 Because there has
00:27:03.540 to be moments
00:27:04.360 like that
00:27:05.300 that it feels
00:27:07.020 personal.
00:27:08.080 Yeah.
00:27:09.180 What is that like?
00:27:10.780 I would say
00:27:11.780 that
00:27:13.300 there's been
00:27:14.200 about a dozen
00:27:14.960 times
00:27:15.660 where
00:27:16.600 people
00:27:19.240 the character
00:27:19.660 of Jesus
00:27:20.140 in the show
00:27:20.900 is
00:27:21.700 one of two things.
00:27:24.320 Either asking
00:27:25.260 someone to follow him
00:27:26.360 or
00:27:28.260 a character
00:27:29.700 is quoting
00:27:30.380 scripture.
00:27:31.240 Like actually
00:27:31.560 because a lot
00:27:31.960 of the content
00:27:32.400 I mean that scene
00:27:33.040 that you just watched
00:27:33.620 isn't directly
00:27:34.060 from scripture
00:27:34.520 obviously.
00:27:35.380 But every now
00:27:35.840 and then there is.
00:27:36.560 They're actually
00:27:37.060 saying words
00:27:38.220 that were uttered
00:27:39.400 in scripture.
00:27:41.340 And
00:27:41.640 almost without exception
00:27:43.440 when one of those
00:27:44.320 two things happens
00:27:45.140 Jesus calling someone
00:27:46.100 to follow him
00:27:46.680 or they're quoting
00:27:47.080 scripture
00:27:47.440 something happens
00:27:49.220 something emotional
00:27:50.320 I've had actors
00:27:51.000 come up to me
00:27:51.480 and say
00:27:51.780 I don't know
00:27:52.220 what happened
00:27:52.860 there
00:27:53.080 I just couldn't
00:27:53.760 stop crying
00:27:54.400 or I couldn't
00:27:55.280 they have to walk
00:27:56.340 away and kind
00:27:57.040 of gather
00:27:57.380 themselves
00:27:57.940 it happens
00:28:00.040 enough times
00:28:00.800 that it's no
00:28:01.240 longer a surprise
00:28:02.040 and I think
00:28:03.240 there's
00:28:03.620 I think it just
00:28:04.340 speaks to the
00:28:05.060 you know
00:28:05.880 to the power
00:28:06.360 of scripture
00:28:06.780 but also
00:28:07.440 I think that
00:28:08.340 even though
00:28:08.620 we know
00:28:08.900 these are actors
00:28:09.580 and this is
00:28:10.260 a portrayal
00:28:13.320 whether you
00:28:15.220 believe or not
00:28:15.940 whatever
00:28:17.820 wherever you are
00:28:18.640 in your
00:28:19.020 in your relationship
00:28:19.860 with Jesus
00:28:20.300 whether you
00:28:20.640 have one
00:28:20.980 or don't
00:28:21.400 or whether
00:28:21.700 you're in the
00:28:22.120 middle of one
00:28:22.660 or searching
00:28:23.480 or not
00:28:24.040 when you're
00:28:25.920 faced with
00:28:26.380 that choice
00:28:27.200 it is an
00:28:28.640 emotional experience
00:28:29.860 dramatic
00:28:30.540 whatever choice
00:28:31.580 you make
00:28:32.100 even if you
00:28:33.040 reject
00:28:33.440 even if you
00:28:33.980 don't believe
00:28:34.420 even if you
00:28:34.840 dismiss
00:28:35.200 you can't
00:28:36.280 ignore it
00:28:36.960 and I feel
00:28:38.580 like that's
00:28:39.000 sometimes what
00:28:39.580 happens on the
00:28:40.300 set
00:28:40.540 and it's
00:28:41.680 again it's
00:28:43.340 a very humbling
00:28:44.260 thing because
00:28:44.920 you go
00:28:45.300 gosh we are
00:28:45.880 not this is
00:28:46.460 not just a
00:28:46.900 normal show
00:28:47.380 where I can
00:28:47.860 I can just
00:28:48.640 do this and
00:28:49.620 walk away from
00:28:50.240 it and hope
00:28:50.640 it turns out
00:28:51.300 well it's
00:28:51.840 we're doing
00:28:52.720 we're portraying
00:28:53.980 something that
00:28:54.540 we believe
00:28:54.940 actually happened
00:28:55.660 and and
00:28:56.380 literally changed
00:28:57.700 the world and
00:28:58.220 continues to
00:28:58.720 today
00:28:59.040 everybody a
00:29:00.700 believer on
00:29:01.580 set or
00:29:02.380 majority aren't
00:29:04.460 I would say
00:29:04.940 aren't
00:29:05.740 yeah correct
00:29:06.380 but it's over
00:29:07.120 half our actors
00:29:07.900 are not believers
00:29:09.320 yeah or I
00:29:10.980 mean it's a
00:29:12.740 spectrum you
00:29:13.440 know but
00:29:13.760 and couple
00:29:15.580 have become
00:29:16.180 so since
00:29:17.120 doing the
00:29:17.560 show but
00:29:18.980 yeah a lot
00:29:19.280 of them
00:29:19.680 either an
00:29:22.600 agnostic
00:29:23.080 faith background
00:29:24.340 but just love
00:29:24.820 the show love
00:29:25.420 the love the
00:29:26.680 historical portrayal
00:29:28.420 and and and
00:29:30.120 find find the
00:29:30.980 stories very
00:29:31.520 intriguing and
00:29:32.120 and and some
00:29:33.460 believe that some
00:29:34.840 of this may very
00:29:35.820 well may have
00:29:36.240 happened maybe not
00:29:37.100 necessarily ready to
00:29:38.140 acknowledge Jesus
00:29:39.520 as God but
00:29:40.280 yeah that's
00:29:41.360 that's a I
00:29:42.000 would say it's
00:29:42.380 a majority of
00:29:42.900 our cast and
00:29:43.560 and crew
00:29:43.980 back with Dallas
00:29:45.940 here in a second
00:29:46.520 I I want to
00:29:47.860 talk to you about
00:29:48.340 a more earthly
00:29:49.160 power that we
00:29:50.540 all have we
00:29:51.060 have we have
00:29:52.000 so much power
00:29:52.980 and we don't
00:29:53.640 ever recognize
00:29:54.400 it
00:29:54.840 some of our
00:29:57.920 power comes
00:29:58.760 temporally here
00:30:01.100 it matters how
00:30:02.300 you spend your
00:30:03.380 money when
00:30:04.660 you're putting
00:30:05.600 it out there
00:30:06.120 and you're you're
00:30:06.900 putting it out
00:30:07.660 in the economy
00:30:08.300 and we're what
00:30:09.460 are we buying
00:30:10.060 what are we
00:30:10.660 building with
00:30:11.940 that money
00:30:12.460 we really need
00:30:14.480 to rebuild our
00:30:15.380 country and
00:30:16.760 every chance you
00:30:17.860 get to buy
00:30:18.540 American and I
00:30:19.460 mean real
00:30:20.060 America not
00:30:20.820 like not like
00:30:21.700 cars American
00:30:23.420 cars today are
00:30:24.120 not made in
00:30:24.600 America they're
00:30:25.120 assembled in
00:30:25.740 America a lot
00:30:27.240 of American
00:30:27.840 manufacturing has
00:30:29.400 slipped over the
00:30:30.240 years trying to
00:30:31.160 make clothes in
00:30:32.040 America is almost
00:30:33.500 impossible however
00:30:35.760 there is somebody
00:30:37.720 that is doing
00:30:38.720 it and I
00:30:41.040 love partnering
00:30:41.800 with these
00:30:42.340 companies the
00:30:43.180 company I want
00:30:43.660 to tell you
00:30:43.920 about is grip
00:30:44.500 six they they
00:30:47.320 have decided that
00:30:48.300 they are starting
00:30:49.040 small and they
00:30:49.960 just want to
00:30:50.840 make a wallet
00:30:52.680 some belts and I
00:30:54.540 think the best
00:30:55.220 socks I've ever
00:30:56.100 worn this is a
00:30:57.860 true American
00:30:58.800 experience everything
00:31:00.700 comes from America
00:31:02.460 all the way from
00:31:03.440 the sheep and
00:31:04.520 the wool all
00:31:06.500 the way to the
00:31:07.000 end product the
00:31:07.780 ink everything it's
00:31:09.240 grip six you're
00:31:10.460 supporting American
00:31:11.240 ranchers you're
00:31:12.140 rebuilding our
00:31:13.520 fabric making
00:31:15.200 ability here in
00:31:17.500 America it's an
00:31:19.200 American business
00:31:20.060 owned by Americans
00:31:21.500 it has some extra
00:31:23.780 risk because it's in
00:31:25.020 America and it
00:31:25.780 stands for something
00:31:26.720 but I don't know
00:31:28.760 as I stand I like
00:31:31.320 to know that I'm
00:31:32.700 in American socks
00:31:34.240 grip six check
00:31:35.980 them out now
00:31:36.380 grip six dot com
00:31:38.240 slash Beck grip
00:31:39.620 six dot com slash
00:31:41.120 Beck you know the
00:31:42.780 the thing about your
00:31:44.900 portrayal here is
00:31:46.140 that and you know
00:31:48.120 this is the way the
00:31:49.380 Bible is it just
00:31:50.560 feels like today
00:31:52.280 yeah and I find it
00:31:54.340 interesting I assume
00:31:56.080 you believe we're
00:31:56.980 living in end of
00:31:58.280 days and the
00:31:58.900 possibility at least
00:32:00.080 exist that we'll
00:32:01.500 see Christ
00:32:02.140 it's interesting
00:32:06.460 to me that your
00:32:07.700 father laid the
00:32:09.420 groundwork and that
00:32:11.480 felt right at the
00:32:12.700 time but now if we
00:32:15.620 are indeed approaching
00:32:16.760 these days it's not
00:32:21.700 the fear it's the
00:32:24.220 strength and the
00:32:26.240 empathy and the
00:32:28.160 kindness of Christ
00:32:29.800 and I I wouldn't
00:32:33.380 have thought that
00:32:34.540 yeah you know
00:32:35.480 yeah it's really
00:32:36.280 that's a really
00:32:37.260 insightful point and
00:32:38.780 question yeah 25
00:32:41.920 years ago it was
00:32:43.440 like it was almost
00:32:44.900 like the left behind
00:32:45.600 books where I don't
00:32:47.420 know if a warning is
00:32:48.160 the right answer but
00:32:49.300 it's kind of like hey
00:32:50.280 this is what the
00:32:52.460 Bible is predicting and
00:32:54.380 we're starting to see
00:32:55.320 some evidences of it
00:32:56.540 pay attention
00:32:58.080 yeah not last call
00:33:00.540 but yeah a call
00:33:01.800 yeah and now it's
00:33:03.940 there there's so much
00:33:06.060 of what was predicted
00:33:07.020 happening like I mean
00:33:08.220 the division alone I
00:33:09.240 mean like I mean
00:33:10.200 you've you've you mean
00:33:11.700 you know this better
00:33:12.240 than anybody I mean
00:33:12.800 there's never been a
00:33:13.760 time and perhaps in
00:33:15.240 history where literally
00:33:16.920 just even even
00:33:18.660 potentially agreeing with
00:33:19.820 someone who might be on
00:33:20.580 the team on the other
00:33:21.460 team on anything is
00:33:23.820 is a verboten and
00:33:25.920 and and you shouldn't
00:33:26.860 do it and if you do
00:33:27.540 it now you're no
00:33:28.280 longer on your team
00:33:28.880 I mean it is it is
00:33:29.720 insane and and the
00:33:32.420 world is seeming to
00:33:33.460 explode well you don't
00:33:34.640 really need to give a
00:33:35.600 warning anymore that
00:33:36.500 the world might explode
00:33:37.440 it's exploding the
00:33:38.580 question then has
00:33:39.240 become is well how
00:33:40.700 now shall we live
00:33:41.740 what what what what is
00:33:43.600 our responsibility in
00:33:44.660 the midst of this and
00:33:46.540 you might think well
00:33:48.140 there well we need to
00:33:49.040 fight we need to
00:33:49.640 overthrow and that's
00:33:50.920 what the Jews were
00:33:51.480 saying at the time
00:33:52.220 Jesus came all right
00:33:53.000 finally you're here
00:33:53.680 the world exploding
00:33:54.600 do your thing heal us
00:33:57.860 take over and he
00:34:00.020 went oh yeah no I'm
00:34:01.580 not here to stop that
00:34:02.480 I'm here for your
00:34:03.140 heart I'm here for the
00:34:04.280 kingdom in your heart
00:34:04.920 I'm building a new
00:34:05.700 kingdom and it's not
00:34:06.400 what you think and
00:34:07.920 they didn't get it
00:34:09.620 until he until his
00:34:10.360 death and resurrection
00:34:11.120 I I've been saying
00:34:13.620 for the last probably
00:34:15.840 year maybe eight
00:34:18.620 months really clearly
00:34:20.160 there's coming a time
00:34:22.980 right right now it's
00:34:24.120 right now where if
00:34:26.220 you're not if you
00:34:27.640 haven't had a
00:34:28.320 relationship with the
00:34:29.100 Holy Spirit I don't
00:34:30.780 know if you're going
00:34:31.200 to survive because you
00:34:32.520 have to be guided by
00:34:34.340 by him and and that
00:34:37.420 we have to be more
00:34:38.960 Christ like and it's
00:34:40.300 amazing to me from
00:34:41.640 Christians they will
00:34:43.640 say what what are we
00:34:45.680 going to do about
00:34:46.580 everything and I'll
00:34:48.720 say read your
00:34:51.100 scriptures and just
00:34:52.220 just live like Jesus
00:34:54.620 wants you to live
00:34:55.500 yeah and they'll say
00:34:57.820 yeah yeah yeah I know
00:34:58.760 that but what are we
00:34:59.560 going to do and it's
00:35:01.300 it's almost exactly the
00:35:04.160 same thing yeah they
00:35:05.900 don't we don't
00:35:07.840 understand who we are
00:35:12.200 we I don't know it's
00:35:13.840 it's we know it's not
00:35:15.300 going to continue this
00:35:16.200 way and yet we're
00:35:17.840 trying to I don't
00:35:20.100 know how to express
00:35:20.940 it we're trying to
00:35:21.920 live our way when
00:35:24.260 that massive change
00:35:26.720 is coming where we
00:35:28.960 won't live like this
00:35:29.760 at all yeah I think
00:35:31.060 I think well I think
00:35:32.020 we have even those of
00:35:33.280 us who believe
00:35:33.820 struggle with wanting
00:35:34.860 to control we want
00:35:36.300 to want to impact the
00:35:38.100 circumstances around
00:35:39.100 us and and and Jesus
00:35:40.980 called us to do that
00:35:41.840 but not in the way we
00:35:42.640 expect and I think for
00:35:43.600 you especially I would
00:35:44.780 imagine a lot of your
00:35:45.700 your viewers and
00:35:46.620 listeners are going
00:35:47.320 Glenn you're a warrior
00:35:48.760 you know you've been
00:35:49.960 fighting for us for so
00:35:51.100 long fight you're like
00:35:53.140 yeah but well there's a
00:35:55.200 different different kind
00:35:56.000 of fighting yeah Jesus
00:35:57.320 was a warrior yeah I
00:36:00.400 mean if that wasn't war
00:36:01.760 that he went through I
00:36:03.120 don't know what is right
00:36:04.260 and it's just it's just
00:36:07.120 not the way you think it's
00:36:09.540 not it's you know I've I
00:36:12.980 found that I've been
00:36:16.100 approached on the street
00:36:16.980 many times with people
00:36:19.960 who just lose their mind
00:36:21.340 and just like come at me
00:36:22.960 and and I have found a
00:36:28.080 way to through God to
00:36:30.920 actually love them and to
00:36:33.120 feel the hurt that somehow
00:36:38.180 or another I have made
00:36:40.760 them feel and I've just
00:36:44.260 said to them I love you
00:36:45.980 yeah and you keep
00:36:47.220 repeating that and it it
00:36:51.580 they don't nobody knows
00:36:53.140 how to fight that because
00:36:54.620 I'm not giving you any
00:36:57.460 oxygen for the fire right
00:36:59.280 you know yeah and and
00:37:01.720 that's I mean he talked
00:37:03.160 about the last time he
00:37:03.980 first he talked about a kind
00:37:07.180 word can is almost like
00:37:09.120 keeping hot coals of fire
00:37:10.300 on someone's head I mean
00:37:11.300 the kind of fight that he
00:37:13.040 did was just so different
00:37:14.840 than what we how we see
00:37:16.580 it and and and I think
00:37:19.040 the question that we have
00:37:19.980 to ask ourselves is okay
00:37:20.880 so what does victory look
00:37:22.160 like and I think we think
00:37:23.880 victory looks like
00:37:24.820 overthrowing the
00:37:26.820 government overthrowing our
00:37:27.720 pressures overthrowing
00:37:28.740 changing changing the
00:37:30.280 society so that we are now
00:37:31.640 in control and and you
00:37:34.520 know again we're libertarians
00:37:36.500 we know the danger yeah
00:37:37.560 yeah but Jesus flipped on
00:37:42.640 his head on its head what
00:37:43.880 what victory looked like
00:37:45.340 and victory of the victory
00:37:46.940 is and that's even the
00:37:48.000 clip that we just played
00:37:49.000 where little James is
00:37:49.960 saying well why haven't you
00:37:50.580 healed me and Jesus says
00:37:51.680 to him yeah it would be a
00:37:53.180 good story for me to do a
00:37:54.280 miracle but there's lots of
00:37:55.180 people who have that story
00:37:56.140 the greater miracle is you
00:37:58.480 proclaiming me in spite of
00:38:00.900 your weakness you finding
00:38:02.500 joy in the midst of your
00:38:03.780 circumstances that's where
00:38:05.920 Christians can truly impact
00:38:08.060 societies to go yeah we get
00:38:10.540 it we were suffering too we
00:38:11.980 know and some of the most
00:38:14.960 joyous people we've met been
00:38:16.300 in third world countries who
00:38:17.560 are living in dastardly
00:38:19.200 circumstances living in
00:38:20.280 oppression and going yeah but
00:38:21.520 I still have the joy that's
00:38:22.700 the victory that's the that's
00:38:24.920 the battle to win I was in
00:38:27.000 Iraq one one night they this
00:38:31.620 church was the church in Iraq
00:38:33.400 is awesome awesome they were
00:38:35.960 they were scheduled to be
00:38:37.420 bombed yeah to be bombed and
00:38:38.960 killed at 7 p.m. and I'm
00:38:41.280 asking my guys are they still
00:38:43.660 going and he's like yep
00:38:45.600 they're gonna be there so I
00:38:46.600 went but I was like these guys
00:38:50.960 these families the children the
00:38:53.500 dads the mothers joy full of joy
00:38:56.080 and they were like if it happens
00:38:57.240 it happens yeah what a great way
00:39:00.940 to live your life they'll talk
00:39:02.300 about it yeah they'll say we had
00:39:04.540 a wonderful bombing last week
00:39:06.280 and they're like what were you
00:39:06.900 talking about they're like oh
00:39:07.680 we've weren't we're closer to
00:39:09.220 God than ever before yeah I mean
00:39:10.740 because they find they find God in
00:39:13.240 the midst of of challenge and
00:39:15.220 that's what true joy is versus
00:39:16.940 happiness which comes and goes
00:39:18.300 and yeah we we talk about we do
00:39:19.740 that a lot in the show too of
00:39:21.280 trying to show that it's it's
00:39:24.260 actually through the the trial the
00:39:27.280 the the pain that you actually
00:39:29.660 feel closest to God it's a it's
00:39:31.040 a hard truth to grasp it takes a
00:39:32.800 long time but that's again that's
00:39:35.260 the that's the victory that that
00:39:36.640 comes when you can actually get
00:39:37.700 there it becomes a superpower
00:39:38.540 there's a a part in this season
00:39:45.560 where Jesus says you think it's
00:39:48.220 hard to follow me now you haven't
00:39:52.480 seen anything yet yeah and that
00:39:56.540 was one of those moments where I
00:39:58.040 feel like wow that that's that's
00:40:02.080 today yeah can you can you talk
00:40:07.200 about a little bit about how what
00:40:14.560 people what you hope people get from
00:40:17.640 watching this and not just from
00:40:22.960 Jesus but from the apostles on you
00:40:26.420 think it's tough yeah you're gonna be
00:40:29.120 crucified upside down you know yeah
00:40:31.120 what do you yeah well so there's a
00:40:33.840 this is a scene you're referencing is
00:40:35.940 an episode two of season three where
00:40:38.340 it's the scene where he officially
00:40:39.860 calls him he officially says you're my
00:40:41.580 apostle so he we sometimes get those
00:40:44.020 terms mixed up disciples Jesus had
00:40:45.800 many disciples hundreds that followed
00:40:47.560 him around but the apostles were the
00:40:49.960 12 that he said you're you're my
00:40:51.460 leaders you're gonna you're gonna go
00:40:53.620 out and apostles means the one who's
00:40:56.480 sent and so he gathers them all in
00:40:59.100 Simon's house and says you're my guys
00:41:01.100 you're the official 12 and you're my
00:41:02.500 apostles and they're like whoa you're
00:41:04.020 sending us he says yes we start
00:41:06.280 telling them you're gonna go out you're
00:41:08.060 gonna preach you're gonna heal you're
00:41:09.660 gonna cast out demons but you're
00:41:11.100 actually not gonna take any money
00:41:12.160 you're not gonna take anything to
00:41:13.520 wear you're gonna go out there without
00:41:15.520 me and they're like whoa wait a
00:41:16.680 minute we've been with you and we've
00:41:18.780 seen you when you do these things and
00:41:20.860 you get attacked you get threatened by
00:41:24.080 our leaders you're sending us out there
00:41:26.040 without you how are we gonna do this
00:41:27.280 and he's like well you need to learn to
00:41:29.480 not fear those who may kill the body
00:41:31.500 destroy the body but it's more about
00:41:34.500 the soul and and John the apostle says
00:41:37.440 you're saying we could die and there's
00:41:39.960 this moment where where Jesus has in the
00:41:42.140 show has this like he and Jonathan the
00:41:44.800 actor and I talked about this he's like
00:41:46.520 I I see the future but I can't
00:41:49.060 communicate it to them just yet they
00:41:50.940 need to have it kind of delivered in
00:41:53.380 in small pieces so you see his face
00:41:56.400 change and he's he's very sad but he
00:41:58.780 says there will come a time when you
00:42:01.940 face the kind of persecution that I'm
00:42:03.540 facing and and then you will know what
00:42:06.300 it truly means to give up your life but
00:42:09.140 that's not on on this trip you know on
00:42:11.400 this trip will it'll it'll it'll feel
00:42:12.980 different and we've heard from so many
00:42:15.960 people who've seen that scene who felt
00:42:17.940 personally convicted about their own
00:42:20.380 like they're like well he's called me to
00:42:21.860 to be sent and for me to sacrifice and
00:42:24.540 me to be willing to give up my life if
00:42:26.620 necessary and that's the most affirming
00:42:30.460 thing I can ever hear about the show is
00:42:32.040 when people say oh that scene was for me as
00:42:35.360 much as it was for them that takes the
00:42:37.660 apostles off of stained glass windows
00:42:39.340 that takes them down from the statues
00:42:41.300 where they're standing there regally and
00:42:42.900 makes right you go oh I I'm that I'm
00:42:46.480 him I'm her and that's that's that's my
00:42:50.100 that's the favorite thing that I ever
00:42:51.380 hear from from viewers is when there's a
00:42:53.040 connection to that and it's it's not you
00:42:55.820 know in Sunday school growing up you know
00:42:58.220 you sometimes see Jesus portrayed on a
00:43:00.260 flanagraph and he's wearing the white
00:43:02.200 robe and and he's smiling perfectly white
00:43:04.700 yes exactly he didn't live in he's got
00:43:06.620 to have some cologne on of some sort as
00:43:09.420 well it was clearly being laundered every
00:43:12.520 every couple hours out in the desert but
00:43:15.160 the chosen this the theme of season
00:43:19.380 three is come to me all you who are weary
00:43:21.100 and heavy laden and I will give you rest
00:43:22.820 we don't skip over the weary and heavy
00:43:24.620 laden part and season three is a tough
00:43:26.560 tough season because we we portray the
00:43:29.380 kinds of things that we face today that
00:43:31.620 we know they face then and Jesus doesn't
00:43:34.540 erase it all he just is present well
00:43:38.140 Christmas is right around the corner
00:43:39.480 which means you're probably tearing your
00:43:40.980 hair out trying to figure out oh wait
00:43:43.120 who did we forget if you have somebody on
00:43:45.920 your list it's hard to shop for give him
00:43:48.880 the most essential gift of the year meat
00:43:52.080 the Bill Murray what was the Scrooged is
00:43:56.900 five pounds of beef you get it in a great
00:44:01.100 box and it comes from good ranchers they
00:44:04.500 have gift boxes they can send them out
00:44:07.860 you can get an awesome discount on an
00:44:09.980 order of five boxes or more and it is
00:44:12.600 100 percent American USDA prime upper
00:44:17.320 choice cuts of beef chicken and seafood
00:44:20.400 sometimes you go to the grocery store and
00:44:22.860 you'll say product of USA it's not a lot of
00:44:27.400 that meat that has that sticker it doesn't
00:44:30.460 mean that it was farmed in America that
00:44:34.240 could be from China it's crazy this is US
00:44:38.360 beef and we've got to take care of our
00:44:40.600 farmers and our ranchers go to good
00:44:42.660 ranchers.com use the promo code Glenn at
00:44:45.200 checkout get $35 off the delicious gift of
00:44:48.720 meat again it's good ranchers.com promo
00:44:52.280 code Glenn I think this is like perfect
00:44:56.800 timing at least for me when where I am in
00:45:01.200 my view of things but what's must be
00:45:07.480 strange for you you know when Lucille Ball
00:45:12.040 had her baby first time anybody was
00:45:15.820 pregnant first time baby was gonna you
00:45:18.500 know be born 70 percent of every
00:45:23.160 television every person that had a
00:45:25.980 television 70 percent of them were
00:45:27.800 watching that night hey I knew what it
00:45:32.800 was like at Fox was not you know it was
00:45:37.060 three million a night there's something
00:45:40.380 about that because you can feel it this
00:45:43.780 is spilling out into people's lives all
00:45:47.720 the time yeah how does how do you how do
00:45:54.320 you react to that how is what because
00:45:56.400 this feels right this year to me yeah
00:45:59.240 but it might hit somebody four years down
00:46:02.080 the road oh sure you know what I mean
00:46:03.580 yeah so when we when we launch each of
00:46:05.940 our episodes right now season three
00:46:07.720 coming out each Sunday night you know
00:46:09.300 Sunday night seven o'clock Eastern we
00:46:11.520 we have a big live stream on YouTube
00:46:13.160 Facebook and the chosen app and and it's
00:46:15.760 all at once and we get you know a couple
00:46:17.300 hundred thousand people show up for
00:46:19.580 that but 99 percent of our viewers are
00:46:23.500 watching this over the course of multiple
00:46:25.400 years and there's still plenty of people
00:46:27.280 who all run into who go hey you know
00:46:29.620 you're Dallas James the creator of the
00:46:30.580 chosen yeah yeah and they're like I just
00:46:32.340 started season one yeah and I'm like oh
00:46:34.820 yeah season one that was I was like I've
00:46:37.000 made that four years ago it came out a
00:46:38.660 year and a half ago the season one just
00:46:40.220 debuted on Netflix a couple weeks ago and
00:46:42.520 it's going really well on Netflix and so
00:46:44.540 I mean and it's translated into 25
00:46:46.320 languages on Netflix so there's people
00:46:47.720 all over the world discovering it and
00:46:51.060 and that's the that's that's the the
00:46:53.640 weird thing about it is they're they're
00:46:55.400 talking about how I was so moved by and
00:46:58.180 and I'm assuming they're gonna mention
00:46:59.640 something that I just did and they're
00:47:01.600 like when Jesus redeems Mary in a bar and
00:47:05.420 I'm like oh that's episode one season
00:47:06.780 one oh yeah that's right okay I gotta
00:47:08.380 refresh my memory but yeah this is a
00:47:10.880 living breathing constantly changing
00:47:13.900 it's almost movies changed when the
00:47:17.940 videotape you know came out and they
00:47:21.320 could have that extra life television's
00:47:24.800 always been television and you know when
00:47:26.780 the DVD came out I guess you know some
00:47:29.040 shows but now this is almost like music
00:47:34.440 it is yeah that's a good point it just
00:47:37.060 lives at any time anywhere in the world
00:47:40.960 and will continue to affect for decades
00:47:45.280 well and right now we're only reaching
00:47:48.140 the tip of the iceberg when it comes to
00:47:50.900 the show expanding around the world
00:47:52.680 because you know we just established a
00:47:55.800 new partnership with a nonprofit that's
00:47:59.220 going to be raising and it already has
00:48:01.980 hundreds of millions of dollars to
00:48:03.480 translate it into hundreds of languages
00:48:05.240 and so what's happening in the states
00:48:08.120 with the chosen is starting to happen
00:48:10.020 and I mean it's starting to really blow
00:48:11.760 up in Brazil the Philippines India
00:48:15.320 there's places where it's starting to
00:48:16.740 grow we're trying to catch up with it I
00:48:18.400 mean it's growing bigger than we can
00:48:19.660 keep up with and they're going to your
00:48:21.820 point they're going we just saw season
00:48:23.520 one which we had it we had translated
00:48:25.520 you know a couple years ago they're like
00:48:27.060 all right season two translation and I'm
00:48:29.080 going hey the translation takes longer
00:48:31.420 to do than it does to watch like this is
00:48:34.640 hard there's hundreds of languages but
00:48:36.060 it's it's growing and the demand for it
00:48:37.660 is growing so big we're trying to keep
00:48:38.860 up with it we're establishing an
00:48:39.940 international team and trying to to get
00:48:42.080 it out there but the other thing that's
00:48:43.980 interesting to your point is and this is
00:48:46.700 also like music how many times have you
00:48:48.660 heard the same song that you love or
00:48:51.100 that has spoken to you and and sometimes
00:48:53.740 being a father now a song has huge
00:48:57.220 meaning compared to what it did when you
00:48:59.580 were a teenager yeah and so we have
00:49:02.460 people who say I people who will say
00:49:09.440 to me I watch the scene of Jesus and
00:49:13.400 Mary or I watch the scene of of Jesus
00:49:16.240 healing the paralytic or Jesus calling
00:49:18.000 Matthew once a month because it or I
00:49:22.120 just watch it again for the 50th time
00:49:24.300 because it it it comforts me or brings
00:49:27.780 me so much like I like it they need to
00:49:30.340 they need to see it again to remind
00:49:32.480 them of of who Jesus is and and that's
00:49:37.940 really cool too when when when unlike
00:49:40.280 television back then when Lucy Ball had
00:49:42.380 her baby you watched it needs done that
00:49:44.600 you didn't get a chance to see it again
00:49:45.560 unless it was maybe in a rerun during the
00:49:47.040 summer and then that was it yeah so
00:49:48.880 that's I think this show is uniquely
00:49:53.420 positioned for such a time as this
00:49:55.100 because it can it can can heal people
00:49:58.560 repeatedly and yes and build yeah and
00:50:00.540 even because the seasons that this is the
00:50:03.060 third time we've watched the chosen
00:50:05.480 start to wherever you are because the
00:50:08.160 seasons take a while and then when you
00:50:09.660 have the new season we're back watching
00:50:11.440 it from the beginning you want to kind of
00:50:12.700 catch up yeah the portrayal of the
00:50:18.760 women on the on the path and and thank
00:50:24.280 you for your portrayal of Mary Magdalene
00:50:27.280 I don't I think she's I think she gets
00:50:31.960 slighted not a lot and I think she was
00:50:39.440 most likely a really truly remarkable
00:50:42.740 woman as you portray yeah and the
00:50:45.720 actress who plays her is a miracle yeah
00:50:48.440 you've shown it I think once I'm trying
00:50:58.720 to remember the woman who is traveling
00:51:02.740 her father was like you know wait you're
00:51:06.040 gonna go out on the road and I can't
00:51:08.020 remember now Rhema is the name of the
00:51:09.600 actor of the character she's not from
00:51:11.560 scripture but she's right yeah she's a
00:51:13.520 matched with Thomas yeah the apostle and
00:51:17.020 and so they're traveling that did not
00:51:20.460 happen I mean it happened in the
00:51:23.240 scriptures yeah but back then that was
00:51:26.100 unheard of right yeah so women back then
00:51:32.000 were property may be too strong of a word
00:51:36.400 but they they their fathers controlled
00:51:41.300 their lives including who they who they
00:51:44.460 married and and so then when they were
00:51:50.160 married then then they belong to their
00:51:52.980 husbands in a case in a sense but when
00:51:57.360 you read the Gospels there's some things
00:51:59.120 that you can pick up on that are pretty
00:52:00.920 surprising one is there were women who
00:52:02.880 followed Jesus traveled with him and
00:52:04.480 actually supported the ministry right
00:52:06.700 because the the the disciples they gave
00:52:09.300 up their their jobs to become official
00:52:11.280 rabbinical students that's what would
00:52:13.260 happen when you would follow a rabbi you'd
00:52:14.700 give up everything and you'd follow the
00:52:15.820 rabbi well a woman wouldn't be an
00:52:18.200 official rabbinical student but she
00:52:21.140 still followed Jesus wanted to be around
00:52:22.980 the ministry wanted to be around the
00:52:25.060 sermons so they had the jobs so when we
00:52:29.640 when people talk about our portrayal of
00:52:31.160 women in the show and they they talk
00:52:34.700 about how we honor them and give them
00:52:35.960 strength and I'm like yeah but that's
00:52:37.620 that's not as that's not as anti that's
00:52:40.380 not as against type as as you might have
00:52:42.520 expected now to your question
00:52:43.920 rhema who plays um who's who's the
00:52:48.600 daughter of a man named coughny who was
00:52:51.020 at the in our portrayal the feet the
00:52:53.000 wedding at cana this is episode five of
00:52:55.340 season one is when we meet her she and
00:52:56.920 thomas are the caterers the wine
00:52:59.680 providers for the wedding and they see
00:53:02.060 this miracle and so they they want to
00:53:04.800 follow Jesus well the father of rhema
00:53:07.480 has to give permission she can't just
00:53:09.580 leave the house and go off a it wouldn't
00:53:11.660 be safe but be um even in jewish law like
00:53:15.240 she would have been living outside of the
00:53:17.200 authority of her of her father um so it's
00:53:20.960 it's been a really cool way for us to
00:53:22.820 explore some of that by showing just how
00:53:25.560 big of a deal that would have been um and
00:53:28.760 so yeah her character uh her father
00:53:32.520 especially who's not a believer who
00:53:33.900 finds even Jesus to potentially be
00:53:35.460 blasphemous but we portray it as though
00:53:38.020 Jesus did a miracle that saved his
00:53:39.640 business and so he's kind of like all
00:53:41.080 right I feel like my daughter really
00:53:42.540 wants to follow you I'm gonna allow
00:53:43.760 this um Thomas you better keep her safe
00:53:48.140 Jesus you better take care of her so we
00:53:51.240 portray some of those kind of family
00:53:52.960 dynamics and the gospels talk about that
00:53:55.220 they say I will cause division in your
00:53:58.360 household right you may you're you know
00:54:01.000 there may be even hatred within your
00:54:03.960 family because following me actually
00:54:06.880 takes precedence what's the process like
00:54:09.440 when you go off script when you go off of
00:54:15.440 scripture yeah and you're trying to tell
00:54:17.800 something and you're writing scenes that
00:54:20.080 are out of your head what is the pressure
00:54:24.280 and the process like to write that yeah
00:54:26.940 for sure uh you're it's it's a it's a
00:54:29.960 tightrope and and I don't always have
00:54:31.800 the balance on it that I'm trying to
00:54:33.300 find uh so the the one word that is the
00:54:38.200 banner above all that we write is
00:54:39.840 plausible now that applies biblically
00:54:42.260 spiritually historically culturally and
00:54:44.640 artistically which is um this isn't a
00:54:48.360 traditional bible show in the sense that
00:54:50.020 we're not just reenacting verse by verse
00:54:52.340 miracle by miracle which has been done
00:54:54.960 before and done well and and I'm not this
00:54:57.400 isn't trying to replace that uh this is a
00:54:59.820 show about the people of first century
00:55:01.020 galilee it's a it's a historical drama
00:55:02.900 using the bible is the primary source of
00:55:04.580 truth and inspiration so when I go off
00:55:07.380 script which is actually the majority of
00:55:08.680 the time I mean they're in the bible
00:55:10.420 jesus never said hello you know I mean
00:55:12.760 he didn't never says jesus uh you know
00:55:15.160 said good night yeah exactly or was you
00:55:17.800 know eating a piece of bread and while he
00:55:19.380 was talking to his friends um so it's
00:55:23.100 dangerous territory we're we're we're
00:55:25.160 walking through and waters to to wade in
00:55:27.580 we operate from is this plausible now the
00:55:30.440 answer to that question is is is a tough
00:55:32.380 one sometimes but does this fit within the
00:55:35.020 character and intentions of jesus in the
00:55:36.880 gospels and uh i have bible um consultants
00:55:43.040 that i that i work with who read all our
00:55:44.880 scripts they don't have veto power because
00:55:46.960 and they're and they're different
00:55:48.080 religions yeah so i have a catholic
00:55:49.880 priest a messianic jewish rabbi and an
00:55:51.740 evangelical scholar i'm an evangelical so
00:55:53.760 um i'm gonna obviously see things through
00:55:56.960 that perspective and i'm the final say i
00:55:58.760 mean even if i disagree with one of them
00:56:00.260 we have another process where if there's
00:56:02.100 disagreement we kind of take it to a few
00:56:03.600 more people and and and we only we only
00:56:06.220 go farther than that if there's what we
00:56:08.460 would call a red flag meaning if if
00:56:10.600 especially my uh my messianic jewish
00:56:13.400 rabbi who who uh really has a great
00:56:16.200 handle on the history of it if he says
00:56:18.500 this would never happen like red flag
00:56:22.320 right then i'm gonna take that very
00:56:24.740 seriously that's not gonna be something i
00:56:26.100 go well we disagree yeah yeah yeah so but
00:56:28.740 that's very rare i mean it's happened
00:56:30.120 maybe once or twice has there been
00:56:31.480 something that you all really agonized
00:56:34.540 over that did make it in yeah um so in
00:56:38.820 season one uh we introduce you to simon
00:56:42.380 as someone who is fishing on shabbat he's
00:56:45.960 breaking jewish law to um to to feed his
00:56:51.440 family to pay his taxes all this stuff
00:56:53.120 and rabbi jason sobel who's our consultant
00:56:56.060 said it wouldn't happen jews do not break
00:56:58.400 make the sabbath and i said okay well what
00:57:01.660 if we portray it as a huge deal like what
00:57:05.000 if we like because the exceptions in the
00:57:07.260 case of breaking sabbath law were when your
00:57:09.600 life is at stake um and i can't even
00:57:11.900 pronounce the term but it's uh picas
00:57:13.840 koknefesh or something i'm butchering it
00:57:17.260 so forgive me my jewish brothers and
00:57:18.720 sisters but uh which is if your life is
00:57:21.340 at stake then you can then you can break a
00:57:24.760 sabbath rule so what if we portray it as
00:57:26.940 simon really believes his life is at stake
00:57:28.740 here he's just he might be wrong but he's
00:57:30.320 doing so rabbi jason kind of reluctantly
00:57:33.060 tolerated that i mean and so because we
00:57:36.360 portrayed it as a big deal there are people
00:57:39.800 yes there are good people religious people
00:57:42.580 who are not diehard religious people who
00:57:45.320 would go with that yeah my life is at stake
00:57:48.320 and it's a little it's a little snaky but
00:57:51.060 it's also well i even think simon i would
00:57:54.140 have considered him a diehard religious
00:57:55.420 person but i would also say he was a diehard
00:57:57.260 everything i mean simon peter he he did
00:58:00.840 everything like a bull in a china shop and
00:58:02.760 so it's so to me it was plausible that he
00:58:05.360 could go i am a practicing jew but right
00:58:09.080 now i have no my life is at stake because
00:58:11.720 if i don't if i don't pay these taxes if i'm
00:58:14.700 not able to survive and and so it's it's a
00:58:17.360 you know we the plot of it you can see in
00:58:19.280 season one but that was the kind of thing
00:58:21.120 that we that we wrestled with there's
00:58:22.360 another moment in season two uh that was
00:58:25.380 uh season two episode five is probably the
00:58:28.240 most controversial episode we've done it
00:58:29.760 has a few moments that were controversial for
00:58:31.440 people one is mary magdalene relapses
00:58:33.980 oh she's someone who'd been redeemed by
00:58:36.180 jesus walking this the straight and narrow
00:58:39.000 path healed from her uh her her alcoholism
00:58:42.960 and their demon possession and she gets
00:58:45.900 triggered by a few things and has a relapse
00:58:47.740 and uh in that same episode jesus has a
00:58:51.640 couple of conversations with john the
00:58:52.880 baptist and they have some arguments they
00:58:54.740 like our two cousins they have some teasing
00:58:56.920 each other they have some arguments i love
00:58:58.520 that yeah see and so did my messianic jewish
00:59:01.160 rabbi who was like because some people were
00:59:03.220 really upset with that and also evangelicals
00:59:05.040 who were like you if you have two rabbis you've
00:59:07.760 got three opinions
00:59:08.760 that's conservative yeah but uh all my jewish
00:59:14.460 friends who were like because it was mostly
00:59:16.800 evangelicals who were like john the baptist
00:59:18.660 had huge respect for jesus and which is of
00:59:21.200 course true but um they have not been around
00:59:24.480 enough jews yes that's that's they argue
00:59:27.120 and it doesn't they're not mad they're just
00:59:29.920 they that's how they're learning that's how
00:59:31.940 they learn and so jesus is is uh is saying to
00:59:34.520 john the baptist certain things and john's
00:59:35.860 like wait a minute well why why don't you do
00:59:37.440 this and i'm and and and jesus has an answer
00:59:39.860 you know and that's how john is learning so
00:59:41.560 that scene was controversial for some people
00:59:43.680 but then the big one uh 10 seconds that kind
00:59:47.120 of broke the internet when it happened is jesus
00:59:48.820 preparing for a sermon the big sermon on the
00:59:51.420 mount and he's by himself and he's kind of
00:59:53.640 working through the words that he's going
00:59:55.220 to say i loved that and he's like salt has
00:59:57.960 lost its flavor no no he's kind of working
01:00:00.160 through it and there were some people who
01:00:01.300 lost their minds just were like he's god he
01:00:03.940 never struggled with anything and and i'm
01:00:07.040 like well this isn't sin this is this is jesus
01:00:10.520 genuinely thinking i'm going to be speaking
01:00:12.800 to thousands of people i'm god i want to
01:00:16.320 trend i want to i want to say things in a
01:00:18.120 way that they're going to also man and he's
01:00:20.320 also man i don't think i mean this idea that
01:00:23.380 jesus is born all knowing i don't there there
01:00:28.500 would be no struggle then well the scripture
01:00:30.520 says he grew in wisdom and stature which
01:00:32.960 means that and we're still at the kind of the
01:00:35.260 beginning of his ministry at that point and he
01:00:37.620 is still trying to yeah i thought it was great
01:00:40.420 yeah and well and many people did in fact the
01:00:42.640 majority of people thought it was beautiful but
01:00:45.180 there were some people who have a very uh what i
01:00:47.800 would consider to be a rigid view of jesus now to
01:00:49.720 be clear i don't know for a fact that jesus
01:00:52.180 sure struggled with the words to try to figure
01:00:54.720 out what he was going to say it's not fact um the
01:00:57.620 whole hypostatic union god man fully god fully
01:01:00.640 man has vexed people for 2 000 years it's not
01:01:03.300 going to be solved from a comment on youtube
01:01:04.900 but there were plenty of people who thought they
01:01:07.840 could solve it with their youtube comment and i'm
01:01:09.720 not trying to solve it either i'm saying i think
01:01:11.680 this is plausible i think it's actually really
01:01:13.860 beautiful and you know season um episode
01:01:18.240 three of season three which i don't what you
01:01:21.020 haven't seen yet but i can't wait for you to
01:01:22.700 see it because i think i think you're going to
01:01:23.860 absolutely love it we show jesus going to his
01:01:25.440 hometown of nazareth and it's a famous gospel
01:01:29.340 story where he preaches in the synagogue and he
01:01:31.120 asserts that he's the savior yeah and it it doesn't
01:01:34.480 go well it doesn't go suboptimal well said um and
01:01:40.500 that's actually the moment in the in the uh the
01:01:42.820 trailer where where the man says you i the
01:01:45.160 pharisee says uh if you do not renounce your
01:01:47.720 words we have no choice but to follow the look of
01:01:49.260 book of moses which is when where moses said you you
01:01:52.040 kill false prophets and jesus says i am the law of
01:01:54.540 moses well uh in that episode we see him going to his
01:01:58.340 childhood home he goes to his mom's house she's got
01:02:00.480 food for him he stays in his childhood room the next
01:02:03.420 morning they go to the the festival rosh hashanah where
01:02:05.660 they're all celebrating it's a carnival he plays a game
01:02:08.260 with his with his childhood friends he's lousy at
01:02:10.520 it he was never good at sports um some of those
01:02:13.520 things uh when when you think about like uh how much
01:02:17.880 could jesus bench press you know was he good at sports
01:02:21.520 right and i think sometimes we think well of course he's
01:02:23.940 perfect he's god he could do anything he's not
01:02:25.760 superman he's not superman he grew up in wisdom and
01:02:28.100 stature we also show a flashback of jesus as a six
01:02:32.320 year old and his father joseph is teaching him some of
01:02:36.800 his carpentry and while that's happening jesus is
01:02:39.400 learning to read and there's this moment where jesus six
01:02:42.600 year old jesus is like reading some scripture and he's
01:02:45.800 sounding out the words and joseph is saying i'll sound it
01:02:48.720 out and he's like bro keen he's like broken broken he arted
01:02:53.940 hearted you know broken what's that word what is broken
01:02:56.120 hearted jesus says what is what is that what is broken
01:02:57.980 hearted and joseph is saying it's a heart that's broken and
01:03:00.820 it's not the heart in your chest it's and portraying that and
01:03:06.900 exploring that to me i i fell more in love with jesus just even
01:03:10.500 in the writing of that scene because i'm like
01:03:12.260 did he was he born knowing how to read yeah of course not
01:03:15.800 was he born knowing how to walk of course not
01:03:18.040 that's the beautiful thing about the story right
01:03:20.460 and so i do think that we sometimes don't i think we sometimes miss out on
01:03:25.420 that and and so that to me was that figuring out what he wants to say to me
01:03:29.800 was part of this whole beautiful story of of god
01:03:34.220 becoming man um i don't know if you know i'm a i'm a
01:03:37.700 painter and um this um this year i'm gonna
01:03:44.020 paint a painting of judas which i never
01:03:47.400 never thought you know um but it's really because of the chosen
01:03:54.580 that i because he is always he's always um he's
01:04:03.380 hated he turned christ in turned christ in
01:04:06.420 but also if it wasn't for him you know it was a job
01:04:10.700 that had to be done um and i
01:04:16.560 the fact that he hung himself
01:04:20.400 uh he knew he knew um and if christ if he would if he wouldn't hung himself
01:04:28.300 christ would have forgiven him if he was
01:04:30.200 sorry you know um how are you going to portray
01:04:35.520 are you looking at him as more of a josephus kind of
01:04:40.620 character from from history of there's a lot of false messiahs out there
01:04:46.260 i mean the hills were full right of people saying they were the messiah
01:04:49.880 people don't realize that jesus was just one of many at his day
01:04:55.040 and they were all warriors all of them they were all expecting warriors
01:05:01.200 and you see it in the second sea or yeah second season where
01:05:06.700 they're like but why aren't we like when are we gonna build an army
01:05:10.900 right you know um so it would be logical that he would say he's not
01:05:17.500 the messiah right how are you going to play him
01:05:21.040 well i can't give all of that but you're seeing the hints now so in season
01:05:25.240 three judas uh has now is now following jesus
01:05:29.240 goes home to kind of settle his affairs and talks to his sister
01:05:31.980 and his sister says exactly what you just talked about
01:05:34.860 she's like you're you're following this messiah
01:05:37.340 the romans don't like uh messiahs the jews don't like false messiahs
01:05:43.220 uh they kill people who who are false prophets and and and judas says
01:05:48.240 which is a line that people have said just broke their hearts he says if he's
01:05:52.600 the messiah he won't be killed i mean think about the ramifications of
01:05:56.640 that of judas saying that he really believed though there's i think
01:06:01.060 it's unarguable that judas joined the team believing
01:06:05.400 and healed sick like the other disciples cast out demons like the other apostles
01:06:11.280 we show that actually in episode four of season three
01:06:13.580 which is coming soon he uh the scenes that we're portraying of judas now
01:06:19.220 are i'm hearing from people are heartbreaking
01:06:22.460 when he meets jesus in episode one jesus says
01:06:26.140 uh so your name the meaning of your name judas
01:06:28.920 i mean judas actually means praising god with your hands
01:06:31.740 and jesus says yes judas says yeah praise god and jesus says
01:06:35.580 with your hands and jesus says well so will you praise god
01:06:38.560 he says yes with my whole heart you know um so
01:06:42.920 absolutely judas believed that he was the messiah
01:06:47.560 at least initially uh without giving much away
01:06:51.360 i do believe that ultimately judas was was saying
01:06:56.300 all right i'll say this delicately poop or get off the pot
01:07:01.200 like if you're the messiah do your thing
01:07:05.180 and if you're not the messiah then we we need to know now
01:07:09.700 because otherwise we're doing a lot of damage
01:07:12.940 because a lot of people more than normal more than normal messiahs
01:07:16.940 that have come along are following you
01:07:19.640 um and judas saw miracles
01:07:21.880 so when did he actually stop believing jesus was the messiah
01:07:28.040 and are you gonna
01:07:29.520 are you gonna show that's what i want to paint is
01:07:33.940 the moment after
01:07:35.600 yeah where he knows
01:07:37.820 that
01:07:38.920 what he's done
01:07:40.520 yeah
01:07:41.020 are you gonna spend time in that
01:07:43.560 period
01:07:44.300 of course
01:07:44.860 yeah
01:07:45.120 yeah of course i mean
01:07:46.660 that's that's the thing that
01:07:48.180 what we're setting up now
01:07:49.740 with judas and introducing you to judas i think is what's going to make
01:07:53.240 seasons six and seven that much more painful
01:07:56.060 um and people are already saying that now
01:07:58.240 as they're saying the first couple seasons are like i can't
01:08:01.080 when i start to think about what's coming
01:08:02.800 it's even worse than normal for me because i now feel like i know
01:08:06.520 the disciples i know his mother i know
01:08:08.940 i've seen jesus laugh and dance oh my goodness i don't want to see him on the
01:08:12.420 cross you know and that's that's what they experienced
01:08:14.760 um and that's why it's going to be painful i'm not going to shy away from it
01:08:17.480 obviously
01:08:17.800 but the judas stuff is especially painful and uh
01:08:21.240 we wouldn't be the chosen if we didn't
01:08:24.800 if we if if we skipped over it and just tried to
01:08:28.460 and then judas betrayed him and then he hung himself
01:08:30.320 right
01:08:30.700 no it's it
01:08:31.660 that's usually what you get
01:08:33.000 yeah it demands demand demand some time
01:08:35.220 um because i think we need to feel the weight of it
01:08:37.280 and i think we also need to feel
01:08:38.300 um our own
01:08:40.000 our own culpability in it
01:08:41.960 as as flawed sinful human beings of who he was dying for
01:08:45.600 to tell you if you believe troubled times are coming
01:08:49.380 i pray i'm not a judas you know
01:08:53.740 or a simon peter who yeah who denied and denied him
01:08:57.100 i mean think and when you betray portray that it's gonna hit home to people i think
01:09:03.140 for people who who for for for guys who saw his miracles ate with him
01:09:07.360 yeah drank with him went to weddings with him
01:09:10.920 knew saw his miracles and still when a couple of them when faced with
01:09:15.020 the threat go went
01:09:17.240 now what's what's interesting is
01:09:19.380 once he rose spoiler alert
01:09:21.840 season seven
01:09:23.520 wait wait what
01:09:24.540 yeah sorry
01:09:25.080 uh when when he resurrected
01:09:28.020 they all were like
01:09:29.580 never again i mean they
01:09:31.900 yeah that's one of the greatest uh
01:09:34.300 evidence for it
01:09:35.260 is how passionately they were like
01:09:37.100 we saw him rise from the dead
01:09:39.020 he conquered death
01:09:40.300 we don't care if we die
01:09:41.540 right
01:09:41.940 are you taking this
01:09:44.240 beyond his resurrection
01:09:46.220 will you go into
01:09:47.540 paul and
01:09:49.000 well right now i'm
01:09:51.440 apostles
01:09:51.760 right now i'm trying to just get season four written
01:09:53.960 and uh and at the end of season seven i'm going to take a year-long nap
01:09:57.800 but um season seven will go past his resurrection yes
01:10:02.300 but it's not going to go into the whole
01:10:03.880 all the book of acts where all the disciples are
01:10:05.920 that that will that'll be another show or series of movies
01:10:08.720 we're talking about that now but uh i'm trying not to get the cart before the
01:10:12.520 horse um it's really really hard to do a tv show and to have it be good and
01:10:16.740 and uh so i got plenty to work on now but but yeah i i think if if if god
01:10:21.800 calls me to be telling bible stories the rest of my life i could do a lot worse
01:10:26.000 so we'd love to tell those stories the apostle paul uh
01:10:29.680 obviously one of the greatest stories in the history of humanity uh potentially just second
01:10:35.380 only to jesus in terms of the impact he had on the world he wrote the majority of the new
01:10:39.320 testament uh and if you want to talk about a great conversion conversion story a drama i mean
01:10:46.020 you know there's no better drama than death to life than blindness to sight than
01:10:49.560 and killing to to being killed for the same cause it's something so yeah i'd love to tell that story
01:10:55.660 but uh but i gotta figure this out first thank you for what you've done with nicodemus too
01:11:00.800 yeah i love that character yeah and kind of quickly mentioned in the bible but you've really made him
01:11:09.140 um real yeah what a great actor too eric who plays him in that season one he's just he's astonishing
01:11:19.220 but but yeah i think it is also one of the reasons we chose him as a main character was
01:11:23.220 um kind of the double agent that nicodemus clearly was in scripture and this is this goes to an
01:11:29.100 important point you mentioned he's briefly mentioned in scripture this if you want to know like how does
01:11:33.500 the show how does the chosen get made you you can look at nicodemus because we look at what's
01:11:39.860 mentioned in scripture and then we work our way backwards and we then we build around that so we see
01:11:43.860 him first meeting jesus in secret uh asking him all these questions clearly believing that jesus is
01:11:50.080 the son of god but not knowing what to do with it not fully understanding it but saying look i've seen
01:11:53.640 it the miracles you clearly are from god but he can't admit it publicly because he's a pharisee and
01:12:00.460 he's part of this group of people who actually are opposing jesus so he meets with jesus under cover of
01:12:04.560 night the next time we see him is when jesus is being discussed by the sanhedrin in jerusalem and
01:12:10.900 they're going what do we do with this guy i think we need to kill him and nicodemus kind of goes hey
01:12:15.140 maybe we should consider giving him a fair trial like we normally do you know like he doesn't come
01:12:20.140 out and say hey i've met him he's the son of god i've seen the miracles he's like hey would you
01:12:24.760 consider uh yeah just a fair trial how about that still not willing to come out of the shadows
01:12:31.020 jesus dies and then what nicodemus then i believe uh almost like a guilt offering contributes tens of
01:12:41.960 thousands of dollars worth of perfumes and spices helps bury the body now there's no being in the
01:12:46.820 closet about this and i believe you can the the the secret is in john chapter three john chapter three
01:12:55.380 jesus is talking to nicodemus and mentions moses and that during the time of moses we actually
01:13:01.420 portrayed this moment in in as a flashback in the episode that uh that people the israelis were dying
01:13:07.960 of serpent bites and god had moses fashioned a pole that was shaped like a cross actually that's how you
01:13:14.520 when you read it in the in the hebrew and he lifts it up and all you have to do is look at it
01:13:19.300 and you're saved from the serpent bites and you're healed he told that to nicodemus so you can
01:13:24.960 imagine when nicodemus is at the crucifixion and seeing jesus up on a on a cross and providing
01:13:33.040 the redemption that he had told nicodemus he was going to provide that nicodemus went oh
01:13:38.960 moses he's the new moses he's better than he's he's above new covenant the new covenant and like so
01:13:47.740 the opportunity to kind of portray that we can do that and actually stay very true to scripture
01:13:55.360 this is not this is not doesn't take a whole lot of artistic imagination to go john chapter three
01:14:00.060 later in the book he shows up again and he's completely committed to jesus not hiding it anymore
01:14:06.280 that's a fascinating storyline to portray and very i believe relatable to us today
01:14:11.760 because there's plenty of people who are religious and who are practicing something
01:14:17.440 and who really don't truly know jesus and i think that's those are the ones who can identify with
01:14:23.780 nicodemus thank you for everything you've done oh thank you for for having me i i uh i've i've loved
01:14:30.880 i've chatted with you about this a few years ago right when the chosen was first coming and
01:14:34.360 you seem to be kind of in on it pretty quickly like i think you i think you seem to to sense i was
01:14:39.860 something was something yeah yeah there's um very few filmmakers um that could uh say i'm going to
01:14:53.960 make the jesus story that had the credibility that you had i mean i just it's beautiful it's just
01:15:02.940 beautiful well honestly i mean it's very kind of you to say but it's also uh i think some of that
01:15:08.760 credibility may come from abject surrender i mean i i i i am i may if any credibility i have is
01:15:16.520 because i believe i'm the only credibility i have comes from from him you know so it's a
01:15:21.520 billy graham told me once everything i've done that was great or worthy that was all his work
01:15:29.000 every mistake all mine all mine yeah yeah well thank you
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