The Chosen: exorcising a demoniac
By Nathan
For Christmas, I bought my wife the first season of The Chosen. A close friend recommended it with highest praises, stirring up my curiosity. I’ve heard more and more good things about this production, and I love the fact that it’s being crowdfunded (it hits me right in the professional fundraising heartstrings).
Little did I know the kind of treat that the show had in store for me and my family.
The Chosen demoniac.
I heard that the series started with the story of Mary Magdalene. Anyone familiar with the Gospel knows that Jesus exorcised seven demons from her, but the scriptures don’t describe what happened in detail.
The director and cast of The Chosen take this hidden miracle and bring it to life. It blew me away. I have never seen a movie or television show that did a better job of portraying the effects of demonic possession and exorcism.
I don’t think that I’ve ever seen the actress portraying Mary Magdelene (Elizabeth Tablish) in anything, but I’ve been living in a cave as regards the entertainment industry for at least a decade. Her portrayal of a soul in crisis caused me to weep.
During a brief moment in the episode, the audience sees the demons fully in control of her. For most of the episode, Mary Magdalene is dealing with the aftermath. She flails against the echoes of the demonic: despair, fear, confusion, self-loathing. It brings her to the brink of suicide. I’ve been there.
A light piercing the darkness.
When Jesus shows up, the light is all the greater for the depth of her darkness. What a joy to behold! Her encounter with the goodness of Jesus uncannily mirrored my own. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to meet someone who changes everything. But the first episode pulls it off.
Watching The Chosen and Mary Magdalene’s transformation, I recognized myself. I saw my own journey from the depths of demonic torment to the joy and peace of being redeemed.
An icon of Jesus.
Actor Jonathan Roumie portrays Jesus in a beautiful and powerful way. He plays a Jesus very like the one that saved me, the one that I know. He conveys warmth, good humor, compassion, and power, with more than a dash of mystery. I know from my own life that God loves mysterious.
I cannot recommend the series The Chosen enough. The directors and actors take the greatest story ever told and turn it into Must See TV.
To read my story of how Jesus Christ snatched me from the snares of the devil, get my new book Demoniac on Amazon.com.
