I agree with the Twitter post that the show clearly depicts Mary as a victim of rape/sexual assault, but prostitutes often are victims of rape and sexual assault. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). In Episode 8, we see that Mary is still struggling a bit - her failure is driving her to be a bit too unrelenting in her work for Jesus- but other than that she seems to be back on track. How does that truth encourage you? In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. Explain: The Chosen is a multi-season streaming series that's adapting the four Gospels. Without getting too detailed, I found it helpful to get my youth thinking about what adaptations are and how they work. Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, and John 20:1-18). An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. This is Tom My 3 month old son is battling an extremely rare and [Free Friday] after an early miscarriage 3 weeks ago, I Our new campus chapel is so close to being ready! Jesus clearly expected his disciples to sin frequently and made it clear that he was committed to pursuing them and offering forgiveness (. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. By. The important role that Mary Magdalene plays in The Chosen is not nearly as surprising as that of Nicodemus. I also suggest setting expectations for the first episode. Thats as far off-script as they go for the rest of the season, everything else is pretty true to a harmonized Gospel narrative. When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. However, In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? I'm not saying we needed to see anything explicit, but the show certainly could have implied a bit more than it did. Starting around episode three I think is when it finds its groove. And just like one day Mary Magdalene will be the first witness to the risen Jesus (perhaps to Nicodemus as well as the disciples), the show also makes her the first witness that we see in action. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. He attempts to heal her and exorcise the evil spirit in her, but he is unsuccessful and concludes that she is beyond hope. You can find episode one free on YouTube here, although there are lots of ads. In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. I would have introduced her PTSD much earlier in the season, giving her more space to try to struggle with it on her own before eventually falling back into her old life. The Chosen does the "misunderstood reject rather than sinner" quite a bit in Season 1, but I think it's a sensible direction for Mary's character. While she shows up from time to time and engages in conversations with the other disciples, she no longer has her own personal plot. The Chosen Season 3: What to Expect & How to Watch, The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction and Analysis, The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2: Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere, Preparing for The Chosen Season 3: 7 Episodes to Watch, I am the Law of Moses (The Chosen Season 3 Controversy), Little James in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***, Judas in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Matthew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Simon and Andrew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***, Lilith, Demons, & Evil Spirits in The Chosen, Simon the Zealot & Nathanael in The Chosen, Quintus, Gaius, and the Romans in The Chosen. In The Chosen, during Season 2, Episodes 5-6, Mary Magdalene briefly leaves Jesus and falls back into sin, before being sought out, forgiven, and restored to ministry. (for LOTR: Tom Bombadil. Interestingly, The King of Kings (1927) also uses Mary Magdalene to introduce us to Jesus for the first time. And just like one day the risen Jesus will reveal himself to Mary and free her from grief and fear by calling her name, Jesus first reveals himself to "Lilith" and frees her from her grief and fear and demons by calling her by her true name, Mary. Lilith here could just mean demon possessed. It's certainly not, Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. The creators make changes in order to adapt the biblical stories to TV. I wouldn't take too long discussing these questions. In The Chosen, we see a brief flashback during Season 1, Episode 1 that strongly implies that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. Instead of being a femme fatale that Jesus needs to resist and tame, Mary Magdalene the prostitute is seen as an object of compassion and pity that Jesus needs to provide acceptance and safety. What's disappointing is that it doesn't delve too far into the implications of this. Because The Chosen seeks to be kid-friendly, it may use the term "Red Quarter" in order to hint to older viewers that Mary is either a prostitute or a sexually immoral woman without explicitly mentioning prostitution or sex. I take comments made by The Chosen Twitter account with a grain of salt, especially since they are most likely made by digital marketers and not the actual creators of The Chosen. This shift in our societal understanding of the sex trade has changed the significance of Mary's supposed role as a prostitute. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For the most part, I just clarified who characters were (see my comment above) and occasionally I briefly explained a reference or allusion that was confusing to my youth. What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. There are a few Bible passages that I thought were helpful to discuss the first episode of The Chosen. Due to COVID restrictions, my youth group watched The Chosen online using Zoom. Have my posts about Bible adaptation helped you learn more about the Bible and explore it with your ministry or family? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. In the same way, we get our first glimpse of the pre-resurrected Jesus as we follow her struggles in the first episode. Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. To recap: in Episode 5 of Season 2, Mary begins to experience PTSD tied to the trauma of her rape by a Roman solider (implied very quickly in Episode 1 Season 1). Did anyone notice what it was that made her recognize him? we first meet her as a client flees her place in "the Red Quarter"), but it's relatively disinterested in depicting what her life as a prostitute was actually like. The Chosen seems to be hinting that Mary is a prostitute (e.g. I admire your comment. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I will definitely continue watching it then, I just wanted to make sure! One other thing - the show could have allowed some of the disciples (like John) to go a bit further in being judgmental toward after her return. This comes out powerfully in the first Episode like to show you why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen here. (Plots & Theme), Episode 2 Guide: Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew, Episode 3 Guide: Life Among the Disciples of Jesus, Episode 4 Guide: Simon the Zealot & the Man at the Bethesda Pool, Episode 5 Guide: Mary's Demons & the Destiny of John the Baptist, Episode 8 Guide: Judas, Matthew, & the Sermon on the Mount, Episode 1 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Lilith, and the Redeemer, Episode 2 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Shabbat, Episode 3 Guide: Depicting Jesus in Art, Film, and TV, Episode 4 Guide: When Jesus Met Simon (Peter), Episode 6 Guide: Jesus, Shmuel, & the Pharisees. Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! Thus, when Jesus first encounters Mary, what he offers her isn't forgiveness for her life of prostitution; it's relief from the oppressive demons that drove her to the type of life that she's lived. Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? [SPOILERS] what is Jordan Peele's 'Nope' about? Its not perfect, but its a pretty great start. Over time, the Western artistic tradition repeatedly depicted Mary as a prostitute and the mistaken association got stuck in the cultural consciousness. However, some biblical interpreters mistakenly labeled her as such because the story before Luke 8 is about a prostitute being forgiven. Episode 1 depicts how she got these demons cast out of her by Jesus. In The Chosen, when we first Mary Magdalene in Season 1 Episode 1, she has already been possessed by an evil spirit, Lilith, for some time. The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. Her name always was Mary, but through her past of turmoil, mental illness, rape, or whatever else caused her to be mentally tortured, she led everyone to believe she was Lilith. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. Although The Chosen is still a few seasons away from the Resurrection of Jesus, it is clearly beginning with the end in mind. The ancient name Lilith derives from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits. Many Christians still memorize this passage to remind them of how God is always with us, even in the most difficult trials. The creators of The Chosen probably chose this name because it is associated with demons in Jewish traditions. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus. EDIT: I still have my concerns, but I believe my rash judgment is sinful, so I'll keep it to myself. (he calls her by name at the end when he heals her). Why do you think they were removed? Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (, Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. This association with prostitution opens a variety of directions for adaptations to take in their portrayal of her, especially given the affection Jesus shows for her (John 20). She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. In Episode 6, Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary and bring her back. More importantly, allowing some of the disciples to judge Mary a bit more would have added more tension and could have fueled future arcs. In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. However, some scholars believe the word would be better translated as demoness and see it is a reference to a Mesopotamian spiritual being. And just like one day Mary will initially fail to recognize the risen Jesus, confusing him for a gardener, she initially fails to recognize Jesus when he first comes to her, confusing him for one of the men who's been hassling her. In my opinion it works. (the Lord), Who is it that says these words in the show? Catholic Christianity offers the world the fullness of the Christian Faith. We turned it into a bit of a game, where one of my youth would constantly ask "Is that Jesus?" Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. Just long enough to make this point: Adaptations often add, change, and leave out details, because what works in a book isn't always the same as what works in television or film. In the passage, who is it that says, "I have called you by name"? The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." However, Jesus knew her real name. Jesus heals her evil spirit(s) at the end of Episode 1. every time a new character showed up. It's also strange that we never actually return back to the fact that Mary was having PTSD - Jesus forgives her fall but doesn't say anything about her ongoing suffering (perhaps that's a storyline for a future season). Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. I love this series. Normally I wouldn't care but this is a movie about Jesus, and if the people behind it are trying to do good, but it is a great disservice for me to bad-mouth it until the full plot is revealed. The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." For Mary's actual fall, it felt like the show was trying too hard to keep her character PG. Expert Answers: The Gospels never refer to Mary as Lilith. I hope I better can temper myself. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? She is clearly sleeping with a man out of wedlock when the episode begins and they are sleeping together in "the Red Quarter" - a sleazy part of town. Catholic priest burned to death, another shot in north Press J to jump to the feed. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. You can find episode one, The Bible includes Mary Magdalene in a list of women who had evil spirits healed by Jesus. There is however a very clear disclaimer at the beginning of the series saying this isnt word-for-word and its no replacement for reading your Bible, etc. And the parallels don't end there. Why do you think the creators added them? Thank you for your input. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. In The Chosen, Mary Magdalene is played by Elizabeth Tabish. EDIT: To more specifically address your question about Mary Magdalene, my intuition is that they chose the name Lilith because few viewers are likely to know the name, and so therefore wont confuse her with another Bible character before her true identity is revealed. 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