SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS:

To my embarrassment, it wasn't until The Chosen approached me to help on a small "Jewish advisory board" for Season 4 that I realized I probably should have some idea of what I had agreed to.

So there I was - a religious Jewish mother of six trying to prepare the house for Passover and binge-watch three seasons of The Chosen at the same time. My kids were a bit appalled that I was so intent on watching so much Jesus TV. "It's work, kiddos. Sometimes work just has to get done."

And then I started watching.

To my complete surprise, the Chosen presents the most intensely Jewish Jesus and the Gospels we've ever had.

Now look, don't misunderstand me. As an educated Jew watching it, undoubtedly some of it is a bit kitschy. Some of it is anachronistic. Some of it is just plain wrong. But all that pales in the face of its value for building understanding between Jews and Christians. The series takes a fact that by now all Christians know, and makes it impossible to look away, fleshing out the Jewishness of Jesus and his earliest followers into something an inescapable, determinative and profoundly positive foundation for the Christian faith.

Creating this small Jewish advisory board tells us a lot. Until now, all the advisors for The Chosen have been Christian, aside from one Messianic Jewish leader. Which makes sense. But recognizing that the narrative was entering more complex terrain in terms of Jewish-Christian relations, the team realized some more traditional Jewish input should be solicited. And that in itself is remarkable.

Tweet   @brothersjudd