BEMA Episode Link: 227: The Chosen S1E8 — “I Am He”
Episode Length: 1:01:12
Published Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 01:00:00 -0700
Session 6
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings continue reviewing The Chosen with a discussion on the eighth and final episode of Season 1.

(No) Discussion Video for BEMA 227

The Chosen

The Chosen (TV Series) — Wikipedia

The Chosen (2017 TV Series) — IMDb

The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill

Forever Changed #3: The Woman at the Well sermon — YouTube

Transcript for BEMA 227

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA 227: The Chosen S1E8 - “I Am He”

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 227 - The Chosen S1E8 - “I Am He” Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Season 1 finale of The Chosen, focusing on the story of the Woman at the Well from John 4

This episode provides a comprehensive review and theological discussion of the eighth and final episode of The Chosen’s first season. The hosts examine how the show portrays biblical narratives, particularly the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. They explore themes of cultural rejection, divine selection, the Messianic secret, and the challenges of conveying ancient faith to modern audiences while treating biblical characters as humans rather than merely heroes.

Key Takeaways

  • The opening scene with Jacob establishes the theological foundation that “we didn’t choose God, He chose us” - a concept that would have been revolutionary in a pagan world
  • The show attempts to humanize the woman at the well beyond the traditional “sexually promiscuous” interpretation, though there are scholarly debates about whether she might have been a Samaritan priestess
  • Jesus’s interaction with the Samaritan woman demonstrates the “Messianic secret” - He tells her openly who He is in Samaria while instructing the Jewish leper not to tell anyone, reflecting different cultural contexts
  • The episode highlights the tension between human understanding of God’s timeline (“sometimes it takes generations”) and God’s immediate provision
  • Nicodemus’s near-decision to follow Jesus represents the painful cost of discipleship and the struggle between institutional religion and personal faith

Main Concepts & Theories

The Choosing of God vs. Choosing Gods

The episode opens with Jacob in Canaan (1952 BC) trying to explain his God to a pagan Canaanite. The fundamental difference: pagan gods make promises they don’t keep, while Yahweh keeps promises even if it takes generations. The revolutionary statement “We didn’t choose Him, He chose us” illustrates how counterintuitive Hebrew monotheism would have been in the ancient world. Marty references Thomas Cahill’s “Gifts of the Jews” to emphasize how “wacky this whole worldview would have been” to surrounding cultures.

Alternative Interpretation of the Woman at the Well

Marty presents a less popular but scholarly-supported theory that the Samaritan woman may not have been sexually promiscuous but rather a Samaritan priestess. Evidence for this view includes:

  • The “five husbands” could represent the five books of Torah (Pentateuch)
  • The “one she’s living with now that’s not a husband” could be her Samaritan faith, which Jesus suggests “is not super valid”
  • This explains her extensive biblical and theological knowledge
  • It would account for her ability to convince the entire town to come see Jesus despite supposed cultural rejection
  • Historical records confirm that Samaritans had priestesses

The hosts acknowledge that The Chosen takes the more traditional interpretation but attempts to humanize her character regardless.

The Messianic Secret in Context

The episode highlights Jesus’s selective revelation of His identity based on cultural context. In Jewish Galilee, Jesus tells the healed leper not to tell anyone because “the religious world is not ready to have this conversation.” In Samaria, however, Jesus tells the woman at the well, “I was hoping you would” tell everyone. This demonstrates strategic wisdom: pagan settings don’t carry the same “religious baggage” as Jewish contexts where messianic claims would immediately trigger political and religious confrontation.

Torah as God vs. God Over Torah

The tension between Nicodemus and Shmuel represents a fundamental theological question: Is God over scripture, or is scripture over God? Shmuel declares “the Torah is God,” reflecting the Jewish concept from John’s prologue: “In the beginning was the word and the beginning was Torah and the Torah was with God, and the Torah was God.” The danger, as Nicodemus points out, is when human interpretation of Torah becomes elevated to the level of God Himself. Marty notes this same dynamic exists today when Christians substitute “doctrine” for “Torah” - we make the same mistake with different vocabulary.

Complementarian vs. Egalitarian Tensions

The episode portrays Eden in a traditional “stay at home” role while Simon follows Jesus, which could be problematic if presented as the only valid expression of discipleship. However, Marty notes optimism that the show also portrays Mary Magdalene and other women in active ministry roles. The key distinction: it’s not wrong to choose traditional roles if there’s genuine choice involved. The problem arises when traditional roles are the only option. Jesus’s statement to Eden - “I see you” - validates her sacrifice and role, suggesting the show is attempting to honor different expressions of calling rather than prescribe one model.

Progressive vs. Conservative Listening

Marty offers a challenging self-reflection about how progressives might write off Jesus’s conversation with the Samaritan woman as “demeaning” without listening deeply enough to have the transformative encounter. He wrestles with the tension of being “always out to catch the patriarchy” while potentially missing genuine spiritual moments by making premature assumptions. This applies to how people from different theological camps listen to each other - conservatives quickly labeling progressives, progressives quickly assuming oppressive intent.

The Cost of Following Jesus

Nicodemus’s heartbreaking near-decision illustrates discipleship’s real cost. After receiving honor from religious leadership, he secretly leaves the purple bag of gold coins for Jesus and the disciples but cannot bring himself to publicly join them. Jesus’s quiet comment - “You came so close” - and Nicodemus’s bitter weeping demonstrate that knowing the right choice doesn’t make it easy. His struggle represents countless people throughout history who intellectually understand Jesus but cannot overcome social, professional, or familial costs.

Matthew’s Surrender to a Greater Kingdom

When Matthew tells Gaius “I’m surrendering too,” he draws a parallel between Gaius’s Germanic people surrendering to Rome and his own surrender to God’s Kingdom. While the language of Kingdom isn’t explicit, Matthew recognizes something “even bigger and better” worth surrendering everything for. This reframes discipleship not as defeat but as strategic recognition of superior power and goodness.

Quintus and the Restriction of Religious Freedom

The Roman decree to restrict religious gatherings outside synagogues and schools represents the Empire’s attempt to control and contain the Jesus movement. This historical detail shows how religious movements that transcended traditional structures posed political threats. The order to bring Jesus in for questioning foreshadows the inevitable collision between Kingdom of God and kingdoms of this world.

Treatment of Biblical Characters as Humans Not Heroes

A core tenant of The Chosen’s approach is treating biblical characters “more as humans than heroes.” This is exemplified in Jacob’s struggle to convey his God to someone who doesn’t know Him, in the woman’s defensive reactions to Jesus, in Peter’s cultural prejudices, and in Nicodemus’s paralysis. By showing their struggles, doubts, and failures, the show makes their faith and choices more remarkable rather than less - they’re not superhuman saints but regular people responding to God.

Examples & Applications

Cultural Baggage and the Gospel

Just as Jesus could be more direct in Samaria than in Judea because of different cultural contexts, modern evangelism must consider cultural baggage. In highly “churched” contexts where people have been wounded by religion, the message may need different framing than in contexts with less religious history. The Messianic secret teaches strategic wisdom rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

The Danger of Elevating Interpretation Over God

When Shmuel says “the law is God,” he represents the human tendency to make our understanding of God equivalent to God Himself. Modern applications include:

  • Treating denominational distinctives as gospel essentials
  • Confusing theological systems with the divine reality they attempt to describe
  • Using scripture as a weapon rather than letting it transform us
  • Defending our interpretation more vigorously than pursuing God
Seeing the Unseen Sacrifices

Jesus’s conversation with Eden validates those whose discipleship looks like staying home, caring for family, and making unseen sacrifices. In ministry contexts, this applies to:

  • Spouses who support their partners’ public ministry while handling everything behind the scenes
  • Those whose health, family obligations, or circumstances prevent them from “going” but who support those who do
  • The danger of only honoring visible, public ministry while taking support roles for granted
The Humanizing Power of Backstory

The show’s decision to give the Samaritan woman detailed backstory (husband who abused her, man who “smelled like oranges” whom she sabotaged) demonstrates how understanding someone’s story changes our judgment. Rather than just “a promiscuous woman,” she becomes a wounded person making sense of trauma. This has powerful applications for how we view:

  • Those caught in cycles of broken relationships
  • People whose choices we don’t understand
  • The importance of curiosity over condemnation
When Timing Isn’t Right

Nicodemus represents those who have encountered Jesus authentically but whose timing isn’t right - professional obligations, family expectations, fear of loss. Rather than condemning such people, the episode invites compassion. Jesus’s response isn’t anger but sadness: “You came so close.” This speaks to:

  • People in transition who aren’t ready to make full commitments
  • The validity of continuing to wrestle with faith rather than forcing premature decisions
  • The tragedy of letting external pressures prevent internal convictions from becoming actions

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  • Samaritan History and Theology: Deeper study of Samaritan beliefs, practices, and their relationship with Jews in the first century would illuminate why this setting matters for Jesus’s self-revelation
  • The Five Books and Five Husbands: Scholarly investigation into the priestess theory and symbolic interpretations of John 4
  • Women in Samaritan Religion: Research into the role of priestesses and religious women in Samaritan culture
  • The Messianic Secret in the Gospels: Comparative study of when Jesus reveals His identity openly versus commanding silence, and the strategic reasons for each
  • Nicodemus’s Full Journey: Tracking Nicodemus through John’s Gospel (chapters 3, 7, and 19) to see his eventual public stand
  • Matthew’s Backstory: Exploring what would have led a Jew to become a tax collector and the social death that entailed
  • Roman Control of Religion: Understanding how Rome managed religious movements and when they perceived them as threats
  • Jacob’s Well Geography and Significance: The theological importance of this particular well in Jewish and Samaritan history
  • Midrash as a Hermeneutical Approach: How The Chosen functions as Christian midrash - filling gaps in biblical narrative with plausible, theologically-informed storytelling
  • Complementarian vs. Egalitarian Debates: Deeper biblical and historical study of women’s roles in ministry and discipleship

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does the opening scene with Jacob establish a fundamentally different understanding of the divine-human relationship compared to pagan worldviews, and why would this have been considered “wacky” in the ancient world?

  2. What are the key pieces of evidence for interpreting the Samaritan woman as a priestess rather than simply a sexually promiscuous woman, and what difference does this interpretation make for understanding the passage?

  3. Explain the concept of the “Messianic secret” and why Jesus would openly reveal His identity to the Samaritan woman while commanding the Jewish leper to remain silent. What does this teach about contextual wisdom in sharing faith?

  4. How does Shmuel’s statement “the law is God” represent a theological danger that Nicodemus warns against, and how do modern Christians potentially make the same mistake with different vocabulary?

  5. What does Nicodemus’s decision to leave money but not join the disciples reveal about the cost of discipleship, and how does Jesus’s response (“You came so close”) differ from how religious communities often treat those who hesitate?

Summary

This episode of BEMA provides rich theological reflection on The Chosen’s season one finale, centered on Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. The hosts explore multiple layers of meaning in this familiar story, including alternative scholarly interpretations that view the woman as a Samaritan priestess rather than simply sexually promiscuous. They examine how the show navigates the tension between historical authenticity and narrative engagement while attempting to humanize biblical characters.

Key themes include the revolutionary nature of Hebrew monotheism (“We didn’t choose Him, He chose us”), the strategic wisdom behind the Messianic secret (revealing identity in contexts without religious baggage while maintaining discretion in potentially volatile Jewish settings), and the ongoing danger of elevating our interpretations to the level of divine authority. The episode also wrestles with contemporary tensions between complementarian and egalitarian perspectives, progressive and conservative approaches to faith, and the challenge of remaining open to encounters with Jesus that might not fit our expectations.

Nicodemus’s heartbreaking near-decision to follow Jesus serves as a powerful reminder that knowing the right choice doesn’t make it easy, and that genuine spiritual struggle deserves compassion rather than condemnation. Matthew’s “surrender” to God’s Kingdom, Eden’s unseen sacrifice, and the Samaritan woman’s transformation from culturally rejected to fiery evangelist all demonstrate different expressions of responding to Jesus. Throughout, the hosts model charitable engagement with material they don’t always agree with while maintaining theological rigor, showing that it’s possible to both appreciate creative biblical storytelling and maintain healthy critical perspective.

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