What will The Chosen Season 5 be about? Authority, Judgment, & (Un)faithfulness
Updated: Dec 10
What will The Chosen Season 5 be about? One way to answer that question is to identify the key events of Holy Week, as I did in a recent post. But a season of The Chosen is about more than events; each season explores a unique set of themes and ideas. [Looking for analysis of the recent Last Supper teaser? Check out another recent post!]
Season 1 of The Chosen shows us what it is like to encounter Jesus and come to faith in his strange and unexpected ways. Season 2 explores what it means to be chosen by Jesus and follow him in community with others. In Season 3, we see what it looks like to continue to trust Jesus in the face of the challenges and costs of discipleship. And Season 4 looks at what it means for Jesus’ followers to rise up – not through political pragmatism but by trusting in his radical teachings and in his ability to give resurrection life.
It can be difficult to predict the themes and ideas of an upcoming season of The Chosen. The creators of the show have had a wide degree of latitude to shape the focus of each season by choosing what biblical events they include and which characters they focus on. But because we know much more about the events that will be included in Season 5 than we have about any previous season, we also have a better sense of what themes and emphases we can expect.
Although Season 5 of The Chosen will probably include themes and concepts that I can’t anticipate, I believe that authority, judgment, and (un)faithfulness will all be major subjects explored by the upcoming season.
[By the way, if you enjoy thematic analysis of The Chosen, you might like Themes and Theology of The Chosen Season 1 and Season 2 – an exclusive blog series for my monthly/annual supporters on my Buy Me a Coffee. Also be sure to check out my in-depth analysis of each episode of Seasons 3 and 4, available for free here on my public blog.]
Authority in The Chosen Season 5
The triumphal entry and the cleansing of the Temple immediately draw Jesus into conflict with members of the Jewish religious establishment. At the center of this conflict is the question of authority. The Chief Priests, Sadducees, and Pharisees all question whether Jesus has the authority to engage in such disruptive behavior (e.g. Matthew 21:14-16, 21-27) and to offer threats of divine judgment against the Temple (John 2:18-20, Matthew 26:61-63). Jesus responds by questioning the spiritual authority of the religious establishment and warning that God’s coming judgment will bring an end to their regime (e.g. Matthew 21:28-44, 22:1-11, Matthew 23), while invoking his own messianic authority (e.g. Matthew 22:41-46). Ultimately, Jesus is condemned for claiming the divine authority of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14), which the Sanhedrin deems to be blasphemy (Matthew 26:63-66).
Jesus’ claim of authority also brings him into conflict with Rome. Although he deftly avoids an effort by the Herodians to trick him into defying Caesar openly (Matthew 22:15-22), Jesus’ claim to messianic authority calls Caesar’s own authority into question (John 19:12). Although Jesus convinces Pilate that his spiritual authority is qualitatively different from the worldly authority of Caesar (John 18:33-38), Pilate is shrewd enough to recognize that such subtle distinctions will not save him from being condemned as a traitor if he lets Jesus go. When Pilate insists that he has the authority to release Jesus or crucify him and practically begs Jesus to answer his accusers, Jesus explains that Pilate actually doesn’t have real authority – he is merely an instrument of those above him (i.e. God and Rome) [John 19:10-11].
During the Last Supper, Jesus has one last opportunity to teach his disciples about the nature of true authority. To do this, he goes around and washes their feet – an act normally performed by slaves, not by masters and those with authority – and he then calls his disciples to do the same for one another (John 13). This is how true authority is displayed – not through self-exaltation and domination but through self-sacrificial service. Jesus also urges the disciples to invoke the authority of his name in their prayers (John 14:12-14) and promises to share even greater authority and power with them when he sends his Spirit (John 16:7-15).
Judgment in The Chosen Season 5
The Feast of Passover commemorates God’s great act of judgment against Egypt, through which he brought salvation to the people of Israel. The crowds that welcome Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday hope that Jesus is about to perform a second Passover, enacting God’s judgment against Rome and bringing salvation to the Jewish people once again. But instead of launching a revolt against Rome, Jesus uses a mixture of parables (e.g. Matthew 21:28-22:14), symbolic acts (e.g. Matthew 21:12-16, Matthew 21:18-19), and explicit prophecies (e.g. Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 24-25) to foretell God’s great act of judgment against Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Jewish leaders. It’s not surprising that his message falls upon deaf ears – just as in the days of Isaiah, God has delivered the leaders over to their own folly, blinding their eyes and hardening their hearts (John 12:37-50).
As Jesus anticipates God’s coming judgment against Jerusalem, he will himself undergo the judgment of the Jewish establishment and Rome. Throughout the first half of Holy Week, Jesus is constantly tested and tried by a wide array of religious leaders. After he is betrayed, this metaphorical trial becomes literal and Jesus is judged – and condemned to death – by the Sanhedrin. Then he is brought to Pilate, who judges that Jesus is innocent and attempts to pardon him – but ultimately condemns him in order to appease the people.
The reason Jesus chooses to undergo all of this suffering is because he actually is committed to performing a second Passover. But instead of bringing judgment down on Rome, Jesus will bring judgment down on himself, drinking the cup of God’s wrath (Matthew 26:38-44) so that his disciples don’t have to. This is part of the new meaning that he invests in Passover when he invites his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood (Matthew 26:26-29).
(Un)faithfulness in The Chosen Season 5
In anticipation of the judgment coming against the unfaithfulness of Jerusalem and the false judgment that his followers will soon endure under Jewish leadership, Jesus urges sober-minded faithfulness and watchfulness (Matthew 24:45-51, Matthew 25:1-46). But he knows that his disciples are weak and anticipates precisely how they will betray him (Matthew 26:20-25, Mark 14:26-31, Luke 22:31-27, John 13:21-38). Although he urges them to pray for the strength to face temptation, even staying up to pray proves to be too much for them (Mark 14:32-42). Thus, when Judas actively betrays him to the religious authorities, the disciples are ill prepared, failing first by responding to their attackers with violence and second by fleeing (Mark 14:43-51). Of course, Simon Peter fails in the most glaring way, denying Jesus three times when he is questioned by servants of the Chief Priests (Mark 14:66-72).
The disciples’ unfaithfulness to Jesus only serves to highlight Jesus’ remarkable faithfulness to the disciples (John 13:1-2). When the soldiers come to capture him, he refuses to let his disciples fight and die for him, surrendering himself so that they can be let go (John 18:7). When the high priest questions Jesus about his disciples, Jesus refuses to throw them under the bus – even though Peter is denying him at the very same moment (John 18:19-26). Perhaps most impressively, he chooses to wash the feet of all of his disciples, including Judas, even when he knows how they will all soon fail or betray him (John 13).
Other Themes in The Chosen Season 5
The events covered by The Chosen Season 5 may be more closely documented by Scripture than any other period, and the Scripture that covers this period can be very dense, so there are a lot of potential themes and ideas to explore. I may want to circle back and do a similar post focused on love, the way of violence/peace, and the Spirit, which could also be major themes in Season 5. Of course, there’s a host of potential minor themes as well: the dangerous allure of riches, the nature of true worship/sacrifice, joy vs. sorrow, God’s dwelling, the world and Satan, prophecy, etc. And there may also be additional themes connected to The Chosen’s own storylines and characters. Once we start to get a more substantial trailer, we’ll have an even clearer picture of what themes and ideas will be emphasized.
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Hello Kevin,
I’m glad you wrote what you did here. I had not even imagined there could be so much more to depicting Holy Week in one TV show. Yes, authority, judgment, and (un)faithfulness sounds about right!
I very much look forward to your future thoughts as you explore Season 5 further.
Well said, dear brother!
Justa