I heard about “The Chosen” for a long time before I ever watched an episode. And forgive the pun, because a bunch of the people Jesus chose to follow Him were fishermen, but I was HOOKED immediately! This show found a place in my heart, and I can honestly say that every time I watch it, I feel closer to Jesus. How can a TV show do this? Well, the writing is wonderful; so connective and innovative. And funny! You’ll smile or weep, depending on the episode. You’ll see yourself in one or many of the characters, promise. Director Dallas Jenkins and his team are breaking the mold of the constantly serious, contemplative Jesus and painting, I believe, a picture of what He was really like while He lived on earth. Our Lord got tired, His feet needed washing, He built a fire to stay warm. He’s a smiling Jesus. His kindness and compassion and love absolutely all radiate from your smartphone or TV screen. And here is where I must give credit to the gifted actor, Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus. I’m amazed and delighted to tell you that he’s with us on the show today.
Take a listen. Even if you don’t believe in God, one of the things we talk about is how they receive letters from atheists who appreciate the show. Perhaps you’ll watch the first episode (it’s even on Netflix now) and see what everyone is talking about. And email me your thoughts – I’d love to hear from you – Mornings@SPIRIT1053.com.
And if you’re a seeker, I want you to know… God believes in YOU!
You are Loved, Erica
Catch hope & encouragement with Erica on weekday mornings from 5:00 AM – 10:00 AM, and Sundays from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
TRANSCRIPTION:
Erica:
I have to tell you, you’ve made my mom a star at her bible study because she told all her friends, she said, Erica’s going to be interviewing Jesus from the chosen. And they all just were amazed. So thank you for making my mom feel special.
Jonathan:
Oh, it’s my pleasure. That’s what I’m here for. Make the moms feel good.
Erica:
Love it. Well, I have to start with a question here that our engineer who just got us set up asked, did you always have the Jesus hair, Jonathan? Because it’s perfect.
Jonathan:
I did in my early twenties. And then later on I cut it, and then 10 years ago I did a play called Train Spotting, and I had it cut and bleached down to the roots basically. And after that I grew it out again. And I’ve kept it about this length or a little shorter since then, about the last 10 years.
Erica:
It’s just perfect. I just feel with all my heart that everybody, if you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose. And I want to ask you, is this the purpose you believe that God created you for Jonathan, to play this role?
Jonathan:
I think for this time and place, absolutely. Who knows what he has after The Chosen? I mean, The Chosen will come to an end at some point, at least for me and at least in the form of this TV show for seven seasons. And then whatever happens after that, whatever God has ordained for me after that, I have yet to see. So. But right now I think this is a pretty solid plan and I’m all for it.
Erica:
That’s so wonderful. I want to tell you, I feel closer to Jesus when I watch The Chosen, when I see you… It’s just beautiful, when I see you building a fire or tending to a cut or when you’re falling onto your mat, exhausted and praying to your Father, it almost makes me want to cry right now because I’m so thankful for that. I’ve loved Jesus since I was 16. But you bring this warmth, this joy to the role. And I remember my Uncle Joe used to talk about the movie, the Greatest Story Ever Told, not knocking it right, but there was always this serious Jesus. So how do you do that? How do you weave joy into your role?
Jonathan:
Well, I think first of all, I mean everything that I say that comes out of my mouth is mostly scripted. Occasionally there are a few ad-libs here and there, but it starts with a great script. And from that I have a structure, a spine, so to speak, to build the meat and bones and cartilage of the character around that. And then prior to actually filming, I go deep into prayer and just making sure that I’m read up on my scriptures, and whatever scriptures we might be portraying, I try to dig deep. And I go to friends of mine, priests, buddies of mine, if I need some clarity and some insight on the scriptures themselves to kind of unlock some things. And then through my prayer, once I’m on set, I basically just ask that the Lord, just kind of shepherd me through the performance and that I get out of the way and I don’t try to impose anything that he doesn’t want people to experience through my portrayal.
Erica:
It’s so clear that you loved Jesus, that you have a vibrant relationship with him, which I think is so cool. So, what is your Jesus story? When did you first know that you loved him? That he was real?
Jonathan:
Well, I was baptized as a child, so I kind of always was raised in a household with faith. And so, I think just having that and having prayers taught to me by my grandmother when I was a kid and my parents, and just being brought to church. And it was just sort of in me. And in fact, I think way down the line, I found out in the last couple of years that there were priests in my family tree. So, I think it’s always just kind of been there. And then it’s been about the Lord refining me and my character as I’ve gotten older to sort of be open to what it is that he’s asking of me.
Erica:
I love that. I feel like this is a show that causes people to weep, and that’s a really good thing. It can be cleansing, it can be healing, right? The show where I weeped the most…
Jonathan:
We should be endorsed by Kleenex. I think that hasn’t happened yet. I’m working on that stuff.
Erica:
That is smart. ..where Peter and you finally reconciled and you’re in the boat together. And it’s just this moment. I remember weeping in the theater and for my daughter, it was the woman with the issue of blood. I’m nervous talking to you, but I know the woman’s name started with a V I think, and that was the show for my daughter, Veronica. What episode made you weep or brought emotions to your heart the most?
Jonathan:
It’s odd to think about it because normally as an actor, when you’ve actually gone through it and you know how see how the sausage is made so to speak, you’re sort of removed and you’re not as affected. But for some reason, and I think this is for me, the strongest indication that the Lord’s Hand is upon the show, and the spirit is with the creators of the show, and many of us working on the show, for some reason when I watch episodes of the show, it feels like I’m watching somebody else. And one of the strangest experiences is just watching the very first episode and watching Jesus’s first appearance in the series, and that encounter with Mary Magdalene. And I don’t know why, I don’t know how it still gets me, but it gets me every time and I’m like, this doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing else that has ever done this to me or had this reaction.
And I think what that boils down to is that the human soul recognizes divine truth when it sees it. And I think that’s what happens. And in that moment, in that moment of acceptance and forgiveness and compassion and mercy, God’s love and mercy is on full display for a very powerful and prolific reason for those who are watching the show at the time. And so, that’s what that comes down to. It’s like this is a witness of the power and the mercy of God executed in a way, in a television show, that happens to be so powerful and it’s beyond any of our human abilities to create that on ourselves. I don’t think we could do that by ourselves unless we had some sort of divine influence.
Erica:
It’s totally anointed. You receive letters from atheists. What does that mean to you when you hear about that?
Jonathan:
That Jesus is for anyone and everyone. And I think it means that his message and the spirit of who he is and who he will always be is reaching people that may not have thought that they could be reached, or wanted to be reached, but I think it’s in their DNA to be reached by their creator. And so, when that happens, it’s like, okay, God’s getting closer to them or they’re getting closer to God. They have the opportunity to kind of return into the fullness of a relationship with them. And it’s really, really exciting and encouraging to hear those stories.
Erica:
It must be. Jesus is the light of the world, he is love, and you do such a beautiful job portraying his love and light. And I want to say thank you and just if you would just say hi to my mom, Laura’s Bible study, here as we close.
Jonathan:
Hi Laura. Hello Bible Study. Hope all is well. God bless you all.
Erica:
God bless you. I’m going to be praying for you, Jonathan. I really appreciate your humility and kindness.
Jonathan:
I appreciate it.
Erica:
Bye-Bye.
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