Hello Friends & Supporters,
Welcome back to Themes & Theology of The Chosen. After taking a short break to focus on coverage of The Chosen Season 4 on my main blog, I’m back and ready to dig into the theological ideas and questions raised by The Chosen. My original plan was to pick up my episode by episode analysis with Season 2 of The Chosen, but I’ve still got Season 4 on my mind, so I’m going to do a couple more posts focused on the themes and theology of Season 4.
(By the way: I’ve slowed my output of Season 4 Bible Study and Discussion Guides due to the delay in streaming. As of the time of sending this post, you can find pdf-format discussion guides for Episodes 1-3 here and blog-format guides for Episodes 1-5 on my public blog. Expect more soon.)
In my earlier posts on the Themes and Theology of The Chosen Season 4, I correctly anticipated the centrality of death, rising up, and Jesus’ struggles as a man of sorrows. But Season 4 had a few other important themes that I didn’t anticipate. One of these themes - the tension between faith and pragmatism - will be my focus today.
Pragmatism vs. Faith in The Chosen Season 4
In Episode 1 of Season 4, Judas complains to Simon Z about how they and the other disciples have been wasting their time washing clothes and doing other menial work instead of focusing on the more important work of teaching and spreading the message of Jesus. He can’t imagine how Jesus will ever amass a following unless they begin gathering funds and delegate unimportant work. Simon Z pushes back, urging Judas to trust that Jesus has reasons for what they’ve been doing. By giving his teaching freely, Jesus is embodying generosity. By forcing the disciples to do menial work, he is molding their character. This conversation distills the tension between pragmatism and faith that we see play out throughout the remainder of Season 4.
Judas is one of the primary representatives of pragmatism in Season 4. His focus is on finding the most effective and efficient path toward his goals (building the Jesus movement and spreading its message). Anything that slows progress (e.g. having to do laundry) is seen as an unnecessary obstacle that needs to be circumvented or eliminated.
By contrast, Simon Z embodies active faith. Instead of focusing on his own calculations and plans, he focuses on trusting and following Jesus’ instructions and example. Even when those instructions appear to be inefficient or cumbersome, he is confident that there is a purpose. To paraphrase the words of Anselm, instead of needing to understand in order to believe, Simon Z’s belief leads him to greater understanding. By pondering Jesus’ ways, he comes to recognize that Jesus is doing more than spreading a message; he’s living the message (by showing radical generosity) and forming his messengers (the disciples) into humble servants.
Although Simon Z isn’t a pragmatist like Judas, he also isn’t impractical. Ironically, Simon Z is far more prepared to accomplish concrete tasks (e.g. like washing clothes) than Judas is. His faith hasn’t made him oblivious or apathetic to practical concerns; it’s simply directed his action, energy, and attention towards the tasks that are actually necessary.
Throughout Season 4, the active faith of characters like Simon Z comes into conflict with the more pragmatic perspective of characters like Judas on multiple occasions:
In Episode 1, Herodias embodies pure pragmatism, divorced even from good goals/ends. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goal (the death of John) - even if it means forcing her daughter to dance seductively before her husband after hours of grueling training. By contrast, John embodies pure faith in his willingness to submit to what appears to be the greatest possible hindrance - his own death - because he trusts that Jesus has a purpose.
In Episode 2 (and later), we see how the elite religious leaders in Jerusalem are willing to do whatever they need to in order to maintain their own status and influence. This is highlighted even more in Episode 5, in which we see how some leaders are even willing to plot against Jesus simply in order to gain attention for their political cause.
Episode 2 also shows us how the Sanhedrin is willing to forgo proper investigative process and cooperate with Rome in order to eliminate the growing hindrance of the Jesus movement. Again, we see this even more blatantly as the season continues, especially in Episode 8, in which the High Priest proposes that they get Jesus killed by Rome in order to maintain peace and stability.
In Episodes 2-3, Quintus pressures Gaius to do whatever he has to in order to reduce the size of the Tent City as quickly as possible. But Gaius demonstrates his faith by standing aside and refusing to participate when Quintus finally puts him to the test.
In Episodes 2-4, James and John justify their power grab by appealing to the good that they could achieve for the Kingdom with proper influence.
In Episode 5, Jesus’ decision to carry the armor of the Roman centurions for an extra mile really bothers Judas, not only because it’s humiliating but also because it’s impractical - it means going twice as far and working twice as hard - all to aid the progress of their enemies and at the expense of their own progress. By contrast, some of the other disciples are able to get through the experience by recalling Jesus’ words and trusting his wisdom.
In Episode 5 Martha seems focused solely on achieving her goal (a clean and hospitable house) and is therefore frustrated when Mary slows her progress by sitting down and listening to Jesus instead of helping. Mary, for her part, sits and listens because she recognizes that focusing on Jesus’ instructions and example are the way to greater understanding and action.
In Episode 5, when Hadad convinces Judas to steal from the purse of the disciples, he justifies it by appealing to the special skills that Judas has. If Judas is essential to the growth of the Jesus movement, then securing his own financial stability is the best way to achieve the goals of his movement.
In Episode 6, Judas’ plan to set up collection centers may seem like an innocent attempt to maximize the resources of the Jesus movement. But Jesus has already made it clear that he wants their ministry to be characterized by daily dependence and not by maximizing revenue. Judas sees this as a frustrating hindrance to achieving their goals. By contrast, the other disciples demonstrate active faith in the way of Jesus by engaging in the humble (and formative) work of threshing their own wheat to get by.
In Episodes 7 and 8, after Jesus raises Lazarus, Judas is eager to leverage the fame and attention from the miracle to achieve their goals. When Shmuel and Yussif arrive to talk to Jesus, he jumps at the chance to try to win them over - and expresses the hope that they might be able to help win over the religious elites in Jerusalem. He’s flabbergasted when, instead of making use of the opportunity, Jesus hinders progress toward the goal of building a movement by prodding Shmuel’s heart and ruining the opportunity for an alliance.
Mary’s willingness to spend a lavish sum on nard and to then pour it out on Jesus’ feet reflects her faith that Jesus has access to total abundance and has no need for calculated, reasonable offerings. This is precisely what makes her act so offensive to Judas, who can only see her act as a waste of resources that could have gone toward advancing the goals of the movement.
The conversations between Atticus and Pilate and between Pilate and Herod are all rooted in pragmatism. The Romans aren’t interested in what is true or right - they’re simply interested in the practical effects of what others believe - and finding a practical way to maintain power and stability - even if it means killing others like Lazarus. By contrast, Joanna and Claudia are moved by the active faith of the Jewish pilgrims, who are willing to sacrifice valuable resources, time, and comfort to obey God. Inspired, Joanna’s faith moves her to sacrifice the security and comfort of her relationship with Chuza to go public with her faith.
Having cataloged so many occasions where faith and pragmatism are in tension with one another, it’s also worth noting several occasions in Season 4 where characters are immensely practical/pragmatic because of their faith:
Zebedee’s oil business is an immensely practical enterprise aimed at maximizing the resources of the ministry of Jesus.
Yussif, who has avoided using his wealth and influence, finally decides to leverage them in order to get a seat in the Sanhedrin, where he hopes to advocate for Jesus.
When Joanna sends treasure to help support the disciples, they think carefully about how they can get the most money out of what she has given them.
During Hannukah, John and the other disciples think very creatively about how to get the most out of the resources that they have in order to provide a generous gift for Thomas.
When news of the plot against Jesus reaches Yussif, Jairus, and Zebedee, they think very shrewdly about how to get the news to Jesus as quickly as possible without letting it get intercepted.
There are a few trends worth noting:
It’s easy for pragmatic characters like Judas, James and John, or the Pharisees to confuse or conflate altruistic, God-honoring goals with their own self interest, comfort, and advancement.
Pragmatism is often driven by fear - either fear of others or fear of scarcity. By contrast, faith is driven by confidence in God’s abundance and in his grace.
Pragmatic characters pay too much attention to external events and too little attention to internal character and formation. Doing tasks that are impractical in the short run has a very practical formative effect in the long run.
The characters who wed faith and practicality best (e.g. Yussif, Zebedee) have already intentionally chosen to curb their own ambitions. When they engage in shrewd deeds to advance the kingdom, they often do so at the risk of endangering themselves personally. For example, although Yussif’s decision to seek a seat at the Sanhedrin may increase his status, it’s a risky decision because it makes it more likely that his faith will be exposed and he will be targeted.
There’s a lot more to what Season 4 of The Chosen is doing with this theme that I’d like to ponder. For now, I hope you’ve enjoyed taking the time to trace the tension between pragmatism and faith through Season 4. I’ll continue exploring the themes of the new season in my second monthly post. Until then,
Godspeed,
Kevin