The Chosen Season 5 The Last Supper Episode 1: Recap, Review, & Analysis
Updated: 1 day ago
The Chosen Season 5: The Last Supper Episode 1 has made a triumphal entry into the theaters. As expected, Episode 1 depicts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-46, John 12:12-50) as well as the machinations of the High Priest Caiphas, Pontius Pilate, and the Pharisees. Based on Episode 1, I think Dallas Jenkins was right when he predicted that Season 5 will be my favorite season of The Chosen so far. Below, I’ll provide a detailed summary of what happens in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1, as well as a review and analysis of the episode’s key themes and messages. Also be sure to check out my recap, review, and analysis of Episode 2 and a Bible study and discussion guide for Episode 1.
What Happened in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1?
In the past, I’ve tried to separate out storylines in greater detail, but the highly intertwined plot of Episode 1 makes this difficult. For simplicity, I’ll cover everything (other than the opening) involving Jesus, his followers, and the Watcher in one segment and then do separate segments for the Jewish leaders/Romans and for Ramah’s father, Kaphni.
The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1 Opening
The Chosen Season 5 is subtitled “The Last Supper” for a reason. It appears that instead of trying to pack all that we are told about the Last Supper into a single episode, each episode of The Chosen Season 5 will begin with a portion of the famous meal. Episode 1 begins with an extended section of the Upper Room Discourse from the Gospel of John (roughly John 16:16-17:5).
Most of this segment is drawn directly from the biblical text, with Jesus warning his followers of how he is going away in a little while but will then return and encouraging them to not fall away, even when they are scattered and weeping, since he has overcome the world. Matthew quite appropriately is the disciple who is glad that Jesus is no longer using figures of speech (John 16:29), Peter is the one who confidently they know Jesus knows all things (John 16:30a), and John concludes that this is why they have believed (John 16:30b). When Jesus questions whether they really do believe (John 16:31), the show has the disciples respond with declarations of allegiance. Having concluded, Jesus has Andrew lead them in a hymn based on Psalm 118, while he begins to pray his High Priestly Prayer, acknowledging that the hour has come for the Father to glorify the Son (John 17:1-5).
Shmuel, Caiaphas, & Pilate in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1
Cutting back four days, Shmuel returns to Jerusalem, still troubled by his disastrous meeting with Jesus as he makes his way through the throngs of excited Jewish pilgrims. Entering the house of Caiaphas and washing, he announces that things are as he feared.
Atticus watches Jesus’ triumphal entry and afterward makes his way to Pilate’s palace. Pilate dismisses Jesus’ arrival as pathetic, laughing at his use of an ass and at the lack of soldiers among his band. Atticus is less confident, recalling how Antiochus Epiphanes once underestimated the Maccabean rebels. As if to hammer home his disdain, however, Pilate has ordered a platter of shrimp and clams (ceremonially unclean shellfish) even though he doesn’t enjoy the taste personally. Claudia chides Pilate for offending the Jews but she is ignored and leaves.
Having had enough “pageantry” for the day, Atticus departs as Caiaphas arrives for his tri-annual meeting with Pilate, who facetiously offers him shrimp as well. At first, Caiaphas insists that Pilate should wash his feet out of gratitude for the order that he maintains during festivals. Turning the tables, Pilate reminds Caiaphas that Rome only tolerates Judaism because they see it as little more than a variation like other religions. Having taken their priestly breastplate during their conquest of Judea, Rome can now withhold it – or he could defile it just before it is needed. Caiaphas promises to prevent riots and also expresses confidence that he will be able to deliver more revenue than ever due to the high turnout. Pleased, Pilate begins to dismiss him – but first urges him to have people present for the execution of three zealot murderers on Friday.
Jesus, the Disciples, & the Watcher in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1
Picking up where Season 4 left off, Jesus and his disciples emerge from some trees, looking out in the distance at a large crowd outside of Jerusalem. Singing is in the air – the crowd is chanting "Hosanna to the Son of David" (Psalm 118:25-26). This excites all of the disciples – especially Judas, who sees this as the moment he’s been waiting for. But their excitement is temporarily dampened by the arrival of a small band of Pharisees – Rabbi Zebadiah (the one who tried to stone Jesus) as well as a very reluctant Yussif.
The disciples rush to protect Jesus – John even taking out a knife, but Judas urges the disciples to listen to what the Pharisees want to say. Zebadiah warns that they must turn back now if Jesus wants to save his own life. His companion warns that the crowd wants to crown Jesus king and Rome will not allow for a rival sovereign. Although Jesus denies that he is seeking a kingdom of this world, they insist that his decision to ride in on a donkey, fulfilling a prophecy of the coming King (Zechariah 9:9), is unmistakable. They try to get Jesus to stop his followers from proclaiming "Hosanna" but he insists that if they did, the stones would cry out (Luke 19:39-40). Departing, they decide to take the long way back to Jerusalem in order to avoid being associated with Jesus’ followers. Tamar beckons Yussif to join the disciples, but he’s too afraid and follows Zebadiah back instead.
Drawing near to the city, as the crowds and his disciples rejoice, Jesus sees some blood on the wall and is suddenly caught up in his own thoughts, sensing Jerusalem’s impending doom. His mother and Mary Magdalene sense that he is troubled and are worried but he soon returns to himself and enters into the gates. On his way into the city, Jesus is watched by the Mysterious Watcher from outside of Lazarus’ tomb (Season 4 Episode 7) as well as Atticus, who also takes note of Veronica, Simon Z’s brother, Jesse (the healed paralytic), and Caiaphas watching from his window.
As they arrive at the Temple, recalling how Jesus called them to be fishers of men, Peter tells Andrew that he plans on doing some preaching during the festival. Thomas is cautious, reminding them of Shmuel’s opposition and warning that they will face both open arms and daggers. As the disciples reunite with Jesse, Shula, and Barnaby, the Watcher observes intently – and just happens to see Yussif disguising himself in some common street clothes so that he can follow Jesus and listen to his teaching.
Inside the Temple, as the Watcher and various disciples watch, Jesus announces to a gathered crowd that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified and proceeds to explain how a grain of wheat must fall into the earth in order to produce fruit (John 12:23-26). While he continues teaching, Joanna informs Tamar that her rich Roman friend, Phoebe (see Romans 16:1) can host them in her home, since she generally avoids the city during festivals.
Suddenly, Jesus grips his heart – sending a shock of concern among his followers. He explains that his soul is troubled and questions whether her should ask the Father to save him from the hour, but instead urges God to glorify his name – a prayer that is answered by a thunder clap, under which we can barely hear a voice saying, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (John 12:27-28). Many just hear the thunder but some disciples hear the voice – including Andrew who thinks it might be an angel (John 12:29). After declaring that the time has come for the Son of Man to be lifted up and for the ruler of the world to be cast out (John 12:31-32), Jesus concludes with an exhortation to walk and believe in the light while the light remains with them (John 12:35-36). Smiling at a second thunderclap, he explains that this was real thunder and they need to take shelter. As the others leave, Mary and John are troubled by the plain meaning of Jesus' words, to which the other disciples seem oblivious.
Afterward, the disciples reconvene and Jesus urges them to spread his teachings throughout the city, since they have only a few days until Passover. Judas senses that Jesus seems to be setting this as a deadline. Having set them to the task, Jesus takes off to be by himself. Peter plans on preaching with Matthew in tow, so that Matthew can record him and take note of errors – Peter recognizing that he will be terrible early on.
Arriving at Phoebe’s home, the disciples happily take in their luxurious digs – the nicest any of them have ever had during Passover. Simon Z is ill at ease in the comfortable home, especially as he considers how Rome may fail to hear the nuance in Jesus’ teachings. But most of the other disciples are untroubled, convinced that nothing happens outside of Jesus’ intention. The disciples do recall how Jesus twice predicted that he would suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests but assume that that the talk of dying and rising must be metaphorical. But Mary and John continue to be troubled. Sitting together in a garden filled with beautiful Greek artwork, they recall how they entered through the Sheep Gate, the way taken by lambs coming up for slaughter. Terrified at the implications, they feel powerless to do anything.
Having left to be alone, Jesus passes through the streets, listening to pilgrims chanting the words of Psalm 136. Coming upon a betrothal, he is invited to join in the celebration. But the crowd suddenly quiets when a young boy recognizes Jesus and declares, "Hosanna to the Son of David.” Though Jesus tries to discourage attention, Ruthy, the betrothed, asks him to bless her union with Reuben, which he does gladly. Encouraging the party to let the light of the Paschal feast burn within inspiring heavenly desires and pure minds, he departs, while the boy continues to call out "Hosanna."
Ascending to a wall above the Temple court, Jesus looks on the chaos below with agony, lamenting how the days will come when the city will be surrounded and not one stone will remain standing (Luke 19:41-44). Looking out, he has a vision of 70 AD, in which Rome is destroying Jerusalem and burning the Temple.
Returning home, Jesus creeps up to Zebedee and asks him to take his mother and the other women away from the city at dawn and to keep them safe in Bethany for the next few days. John, hearing Jesus, follows him secretly and sees Jesus kiss mother Mary and take out the box containing Joseph’s bridle. Bringing it to a table, Jesus strips the leather from the bridle and uses it to fashion a flail for a whip.
Kafni in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1
A band of men arrive in Jerusalem, chanting the words of Psalm 11:5-7, apparently seeing themselves as the righteous that God will test and Jesus as the “wicked” that the Lord will rain coals and fire on. They are met by the Mysterious Watcher, who tries to tell the pilgrims that this is not a time for violence, Kaphni insists that a false prophet is spreading heresy and death. After the Watcher reveals that Jesus already arrived in Jerusalem to great acclaim, Kafni questions whether they met and he admits that they haven’t had a chance yet. As Kafni and his band continue on into the streets, the Watcher looks on with concern.
Later that night, Kafni and his comrades sit around a fire and question whether Herod will do anything about Jesus. Although he killed John the Baptizer, they don’t think Jesus is of much concern to him, since he’s been too “cowardly” to confront Herod or Tiberius Caesar like the true Messiah should. Kafni realizes the religious leaders don’t have the same personal investment in opposing Jesus that he does, being more concerned about their status, but insists that they need to find a way to make it personal for them.
The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1 Review
As I noted in my initial reaction video, Episode 1 of The Chosen Season 5 gave me pretty much everything I wanted:
Cinematic Experience: Going in, a part of me resented having to go to a theater to catch the premiere. I left with a very different opinion. Sometimes you’ll hear people talk about a movie like Dune that really deserves to be seen in theaters and not at home. That’s how I feel about Episodes 1 and 2 of The Chosen Season 5 – they really deserve to be experienced in theaters. The size of the crowds, the scope of the sets, the cinematography, the music, the sound design – it’s all truly cinematic and awe-inspiring. The triumphal entry is joyous and feels like you’re in the middle of a massive pilgrimage. The destruction of Jerusalem is harrowing and chaotic. I know it’s costly, but if you have the ability to watch Season 5 in theaters, your effort and money will be well-rewarded. Indeed, I would argue the Season 5 premiere is a better cinematic experience than all but a handful of top-tier films in the past few years.
Performances: Jonathan Roumie continues to wow as Jesus, delivering a dynamic and nuanced performance that sets the emotional tone for the episode. George Xanthis (John) and Liz Tabish (Mary Magdalene) have some really great moments as well – and I was impressed by the performances of our antagonists – particularly Shaan Sharma (the conflicted Shmuel), Andrew James Allen (the even more deliciously haughty Pilate), and Richard Fancy (the cynical Caiaphas). But I’m only highlighting a few favorites – the acting was strong across the board, as usual.
Music: As in Season 4, we get some beautiful diegetic chants and musical interpretations of the psalms that would have been employed during this time. The soundtrack and sound design also reinforces the emotions of each moment in a powerful way.
Last Supper Opening: I think the decision to distribute the Last Supper and Upper Room Discourse across the season is brilliant (props to my cohost, Victor for predicting this early on). Doing so will prevent us from being overwhelmed by having to take in the extensive amount of teaching all at once – instead, we can digest Jesus’ teachings gradually, noticing thematic connections between them and the events of Holy Week.
Jesus’ Arc: Although The Chosen began as a show in which Jesus was primarily viewed from without, this episode allows us to follow him closely during this very emotional moment. It’s a wise choice – getting to see Jesus vacillate from being joyous to confidently assertive to being troubled, etc. is an interesting journey. I particularly like how he seeks relaxing solace at the betrothal after the chaos of his first day – but then is overwhelmed by the corruption in the Temple and the impending judgment.
Antagonist Intrigue: After Season 4, a part of me wondered what was left for Pilate, Herod, and Caiaphas to do until their climactic moments after Jesus’ arrest. But I really enjoyed the back and forth between Caiaphas and Pilate – it really drove home the complicated nature of the situation and made it surprisingly easy to empathize with the High Priest.
The Watcher Intrigue: I appreciate the commitment to the Mystery Watcher plotline. He provides us with a new POV character – and obviously appears to be a set up for one of the late-coming followers, probably either Mark or Matthias.
Disciple Camaraderie: It’s fun to see the disciples acting like true friends – teasing, joking, being vulnerable, showing compassion, struggling together. We don’t get enough pictures of genuine friendship like this.
Worldbuilding: The show makes a much more concerted effort to place the events of the show within the Greco-Roman context. We get references to events, writers, stories, etc. that firmly root us in the ancient world.
Honestly, I don’t have a lot of problems with the episode. Perhaps some will occur to me later, but at this point I’m riding high on the experience.
Key Themes of The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1
Speaking Plainly
During the Last Supper opening, as the disciples struggle to make sense of his cryptic words, Jesus contrasts the way he has been speaking to the disciples (in figures of speech) with the way he will soon speak to them (plainly). This primes us to pay attention to the disconnect between what Jesus is communicating and what most of the disciples are able to understand.
The first sign of a disconnect comes as Jesus draws near to Jerusalem. When Jesus is warned by the Pharisees that he should turn back if he is concerned about saving his own life, he pointedly chooses to go on. Though most of the disciples take this as a show of confidence, we know (as Mary and John later realize) that Jesus is concerned with saving his own life. Approaching the walls, Jesus is then suddenly troubled in spirit. While a few of his more attuned followers notice, most are so caught up in the celebration that they don’t. Jesus’ face communicates something about the anguish that he’s anticipating but he isn’t expressing those feelings plainly so that all can understand.
Some more significant examples of this dynamic come as Jesus begins teaching in the Temple. His teaching begins with a outright parable: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). While the meaning of this statement may seem plain to modern Christians, who can interpret it in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection, for Jesus’ original audience, the significance of this figure of speech is far from obvious. Jesus does go on to provide some commentary: “ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). But even this leaves us with many questions (e.g. what exactly does it look like to hate your life in this world?).
Jesus then goes on to wonder out loud whether he should ask the Father to save him from “this hour” but instead asks the Father to “glorify” his name (John 12:27-28). We know that this hour is Jesus’ impending crucifixion, from which God could save him. By instead asking the Father to glorify his name, Jesus submitting to his fate – for it is in dying on the cross that Jesus manifests the greatness of God’s love. But none of the crowd knows any of this – which is why Peter and the disciples present seem confused and troubled by Jesus’ words.
The thunder that follows provides us with a symbolic picture of what’s happening with Jesus’ words. Most listeners aren’t able to hear anything beneath the thunder. Others can tell that a deeper message is being communicated but can’t quite make out what. Only a few are able to hear the actual meaning beneath the thunder clap [“I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12: 28)]. In the same way, when Jesus speaks in figures of speech, many listeners aren’t able to catch the subtext beneath his outer words. Others are able to tell that a deeper message is being communicated but can quite understand what. Only a few (e.g. Mary, John) are able to hear the actual meaning beneath his figures of speech.
After the thunder, Jesus continues to give cryptic words. We viewers know that when he says “now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31), he’s talking about triumphing over the power of Satan. But the original audience could easily assume that Jesus is talking about casting out the Roman emperor, who quite literally ruled the entire ancient world. Again, when Jesus says, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32), we viewers know that he’s talking about being lifted up on the cross and drawing people to himself in faith. But the original audience could easily assume that Jesus is talking about being lifted up to the throne and drawing all the peoples together in a great empire.
After Jesus completes his teaching, John and Mary confide in one another and observe how the other disciples appear to be missing the significance of what Jesus is saying – perhaps because “they haven’t wanted to hear.” When John and Mary meet again at the end of the episode and reflect further on Jesus’ words and his decision to enter the city by the Sheep Gate (like a sacrificial lamb), they realize he is being “terrifyingly plain” and “painfully obvious” about his intentions. And yet it’s clear that most of the other disciples are not yet able to hear this obvious meaning beneath the roaring thunder.
I’ll be updating this post later with my thoughts on some other key themes of the episode. Here are a few more I'll certainly want to highlight:
Whoever Loves His Life Loses It
The Hour Has Come
What did you think about Episode 1 of The Chosen Season 5? I’d love to hear your reactions, questions, and theories in the comments below. Checkback soon for more content, and also be sure to check out our discussion of these events in The Chosen Season 5 and Scripture Podcast.
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