Jordan and Kristen Ministries
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Jordan and Kristen Ministries
The Chosen's Ramah Controversy
Can creative liberties in faith-based storytelling go too far? Join us for a special edition of the Jordan and Kristen Rickards show as we tackle a controversial plot twist from The Chosen's latest season. We start with a heartfelt prayer for guidance and then dive deep into the shocking moment where Thomas's fiancée, Ramah, is murdered by a Roman soldier, with Jesus seemingly allowing it to happen. Is this creative choice consistent with Biblical teachings, or does it blur the lines between scripture and fiction too much?
We share our profound admiration for The Chosen's impact on spreading the gospel but express serious concerns about the theological implications of introducing such dramatic, non-Biblical events. Does this scene risk confusing viewers about what is truly Biblical? Throughout our discussion, we highlight the balance that must be struck between creative storytelling and Biblical fidelity, touching on the risks and rewards involved. Despite our criticisms, we remain hopeful for the show's continued success and positive influence, and we conclude with a prayer for its enduring mission to bring people to Christ. Don't miss this engaging and thought-provoking episode!
All right, everybody, welcome to a special edition of the Jordan and Kristen Rickards show. Today we're going to be talking about one of our favorite shows on TV, the Chosen, and in particular a certain twist that they've put into season four, episode three, involving kind of a main character being murdered for some odd reason which wasn't exactly in the Bible. But before we get to that, kristen, why don't you pray for everybody real quick?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Thank you, lord. Thank you that you reign, lord, and that you have everything in the palm of your hand. Lord, we honor you, we praise you and I pray that, as we share this, that you give us the right words to say and we just honor you, lord, with our lives, and we glorify you, god, in every single way. In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:All right. So the Chosen. Now, full disclosure. Kristen and I have enjoyed the Chosen from day one. We've seen every episode, we've supported the ministry, we've even given some money to it. I think the Chosen is a great ministry tool. It has probably brought untold scores of people to Christ and given many people hope, and I think what they're doing is great. The production value is very high and we could sit here, you know, all night and just talk about great things about the Chosen.
Speaker 1:However, you and I have to take issue with what happened in season four, episode three. So just to give people kind of an idea of what's going on here, there was one of the main characters, who was Thomas's fiancee, who is not in the Bible, was basically murdered not basically was murdered by a Roman soldier, pretty much in front of Jesus, who then, you know, let her bleed to death as Thomas begged Jesus to help his fiancee and Jesus just kind of stood there and said, well, it's her time. And you know I understand, kristen that the idea behind the Chosen is there are kind of a lot of blanks in the New Testament and we don't know a lot about the disciples and they want to make the disciples relatable to us to show that these were real people who suffered through things that you know we have to suffer through also, and you know they've taken some liberties here and there, but it's kind of excusable. But I really think they stepped over the line massively here your turn, go ahead. Stepped over the line massively here your turn, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I just want to echo what you said. We love this show and I think it has a great ministry and just very, very powerful in how there are certain episodes we could talk about that. I love what they portrayed, but in this particular instance it really bothered me. Like there's some things, stylistically or certain things, where when they're filling in the blanks, I'm like, oh okay, I don't know, I'll let that, you know, I don't know if I agree with that, whatever.
Speaker 2:This, to me, bothered me so much on so many different levels because, first of all, just the level of, I know that they had a good heart and good intention, but it almost like really grieved my spirit. I felt like it definitely took first of all the focus off of Jesus and made it very melodramatic, on this other character, I should say. And the disciples found a way when the crowd got out of hand, found a way to get him out of that situation. And Rhema was in the crowd and she's the one that the Roman soldier killed, stabbed, and to me Jesus wore our suffering and I don't see him like getting in the like Elvis has left the building moment getting in the getaway car he got because he got away.
Speaker 2:Then this person was stabbed, so that to me I know that probably wasn't the intention, but I kind of took it like and first of all, and it wasn't even in the Bible, you know there's that, so this made up person, uh. But and the way he just looked at her like sorry, there's nothing I can do. I know that there's certain things where we're like why are we suffering? But, as we touched on in another episode about suffering, even when the what you want to happen, even when the healing is not manifesting or whatever, even when the healing is not manifesting or whatever, the picture is not God saying sorry, even when it's your time to go, even when those things happen, the whole thing of him just kind of being like okay, that kind of thing. That really bothered me too.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't think he was shrugging like dismissively, but he was definitely. He definitely told you know, whoever it was, thomas that you know there was nothing really he could do about it because this was her time. Now there's a few problems I had. First of all, I understand the lesson you're trying to teach, which is that you know there are times that someone is sick or dying or whatever, and we pray and God doesn't give us the answer to the prayer that we want, that the person still suffers, the person still dies, okay, and it does feel like God is just standing by letting it happen.
Speaker 1:And you can even go back to the Cain and Abel story. Right, god, let Cain kill Abel. God could have stopped it and he didn't. And why doesn't he? And that's one of the great theological paradoxes. But here's the thing Season four opens with John the Baptist being beheaded. So if you wanted to teach that lesson, you could have taught it within that context, without having to make up another character to have Jesus watch her bleed to death, basically at his feet. That's number one. Number two earlier in the same season, jesus promises this character, rhema and Thomas, that he would give Rhema away at their wedding.
Speaker 1:I forget, if it was the first or second episode of season one of season four, I should say, okay, well it if. If you're gonna have these characters, ask jesus, will you give raymo away? And he says yes, then you're basically now showing that jesus didn't know what he was talking about, because she dies within an episode or two, yeah, okay. So now that goes to jesus's omniscience here yeah, all right, so keeping his promises and now what you see with it and keeping his promise.
Speaker 1:Well, I didn't think of that. But, yes, keeping his promise. So now what they're doing in their car, they've kind of gotten away from a little bit but they've planted the seed. Now, where you start seeing that this murder of this girl starts to be kind of the impetus behind people turning against Jesus, that you see this, the girl's father is now trying to turn people against Jesus and even the Pharisees now are talking about, well, did you hear that? You know this girl was murdered because of him. That sort of thing. It's like the New Testament account of Jesus. I understand there are certain blanks that have to be filled in or that could be filled in, but, like the telling of the Jesus story isn't one that needed a whole lot of modification or embellishment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's my thing is that the Bible is so powerful on its own and the Chosen has shown great things with the woman at the well and different stories.
Speaker 1:Sermon on the Mount was a big one.
Speaker 2:And nothing needs to be added to that. But if you want to add here and there I guess I've always kind of had a little bit of an issue with that, but whatever, an issue with that, but whatever but then to go and make this whole melodramatic thing, which I would have to believe, if something really like this did happen, it would be in the Bible, if there was a murder somewhere where Jesus was speaking. It's just.
Speaker 1:I just it calls into for people who have been watching this thing. They don't know which parts are real and which parts aren't. And you find out. You think it's real. You find out later it's not. Then you say, well, what other things weren't real? Did he really not walk on water or things like? That I mean it calls into account the credibility of the chosen as a gospel narrative.
Speaker 2:And I feel like we're just again my biggest thing besides I just had a problem with the way he looked at her, and maybe that's just my perspective.
Speaker 1:You could have done it. You already had this in episode one when John the Baptist is beheaded. You could have explored that. Why did Jesus not stop it?
Speaker 2:And even if he was going to, so my thing is, even if he was going to say that nothing can be done, the heart of Jesus, he would bend down and like. I just don't see him looking and being like.
Speaker 1:Well, he didn't look like that, though I don't know. He was crying and he says it's her time, but that's another thing. I don't know that it was her time, even though this is a fictional character, because the entire reason we have a prohibition against murder is because it takes somebody before their time. You know, remember when, remember when Abel is killed. What does God say to Cain? He, abel, is killed. What does God say to Cain? He says you know where's your brother, his blood cries out to me for vengeance. I don't think it was Abel's time. I think Cain, when he defied God's will, to say it's someone's time is to say it's consistent with God's will. Cain defied God's will by killing Abel, this fictional Roman soldier defied God's fictional will by killing this fictional girl.
Speaker 2:I mean to say it's her time, like she died of natural causes. I don't think that's the answer that God even gives there, I don't know. I think it's so problematic and it kind of is like if Jesus had been there that wouldn't have happened, kind of thing. That's what I take it too. That's the other thing is like Jesus had left and this happened.
Speaker 1:So there's all kinds of problems with it, and the biggest problem to me is how unnecessary it was. All of the disciples, eventually, are going to be martyred. I think John is the only one who isn't killed, and they tried to kill him and they couldn't. So there's plenty of other ways that you could have shown suffering, okay, without having to resort to take a word that you use to the melodrama of it, and I almost kind of feel like like the chosen in that one moment was demonstrating kind of like you know, worldly envy of of. We want to be a little bit more like what the world would do here. You know, we want to just add this drama here, this violence here, just to kind of yeah, give it.
Speaker 2:give it more of a kick than it should have. You know, if I was watching it with my kids, I would be like you know, I don't want them to see that. Totally unnecessary, yeah, totally unnecessary.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, that was just our little rant, so, but I think we're going to do. Going forward is we're going to try to do one of these episodes after each episode. That takes us through the first part of season four, up through, I guess, episode five, and episode six is coming out Thursday. Hopefully we get this this video up before them, but anyway, we still like the show. I just think that was. We can both agree, that was just not.
Speaker 2:It went a little too far.
Speaker 1:It went a little too far but we love you, dallas, and you know congratulations. Thank you for everything you've done for us All right.
Speaker 2:I hope we don't become part of his monologue next time.
Speaker 1:Listen, we know that feedback was positive, except those two jerks.
Speaker 2:Well, listen, we've gotten our share of criticism. We had somebody criticize the fact when we were wearing sunglasses one time, so there's that and they had someone criticize you for settling in choosing a husband.
Speaker 1:Remember that that was fun.
Speaker 2:Not true.
Speaker 1:I think that comment is still up there. All right Kristen, why don't you pray for us real quick, please? Thank you Lord. All right Kristen, why?
Speaker 2:don't you pray for us real quick, please? Thank you, lord. Thank you, thank you for tools in the media that are used to proclaim your gospel and your glory, and I do pray for this show, the Chosen, that it would just continue to bring people to you and we just honor you. We praise you, god, and I pray that anyone who has never accepted you, who wants to Lord, right now, by the sound of my voice, I pray that they just invite you into their heart, lord, to become their Lord and Savior.
Speaker 1:And I would just pray, lord, that we would just follow you all the days of our life In Jesus' name. All right guys. Thanks for joining us. Don't forget to please like and share our channel if you like what we're doing over here. We will see you next time.