Why does The Chosen hate John the Baptist? (Season 2 critique)
Can anyone explain why the blessed messenger of God is treated like garbage by a show that claims to value the Gospel?
Before you continue, have you read about Season 1?
Their own standard
Season 2 of The Chosen does not have a disclaimer at the start of its first episode, nor anywhere else for that matter. This changes the entire tone of the show, removing the caveat that there are artistic choices being made for the sake of brevity or clarity. Even if somebody has watched the first episode of the first season, it is not safe to assume viewers of Season 2 will remember what the disclaimer said. It should be at the beginning of every episode, and the choices made this season prove why.
Without a nice simple disclaimer to warn the reader about unrealistic or incongruent aspects of the show, I was forced to look up the show’s ideology directly. This is what I found:
We’re going to do this right. The Bible itself is divisive enough, we don’t need to create unnecessary controversy by messing with the truth (or the Truth). To that end, we are enlisting the resources of some of the top Biblical scholars (believers, mind you) to ensure two things: one, that this show accurately captures Scripture and the events surrounding it; and two, that we enhance the impact of the story with facts and meaning that you might not be aware of. We’ll also provide materials that you can use and share to get a fuller understanding of the gospel.
—Angel Funding website, “Biblical Accuracy”
All of this is bad. By claiming to “ensure” that the show “accurately captures Scripture and the events surrounding it” they make every mistake twice as offensive as if they had said nothing (which would still be bad), and infinitely worse than if they had admitted it is well-intentioned guesswork. Why is it so hard to be humble with something so sacred and important? They know they are jumping to conclusions and speculating. There are many ways to handle the controversial aspects with grace, but all of them would require transparency, not arrogant claims. “The Bible is divisive enough, we don’t need to create unnecessary controversy” they proclaim, while butchering key aspects of history and the Gospels.
Shows come and go, but deception sticks around for a long time. I care about the families, new Christians, and ignorant viewers who will hear about this show from their friends and simply believe they can trust it more than the Bible, because it promises “facts and meaning you that you might not be aware of”.
Let’s all laugh at “Creepy John”
One of the most unnecessary offenses of Season 2 is the abysmal treatment of John the Baptist. He’s the cousin of Jesus, the one who was given the Holy Spirit while still inside his mother’s womb. As a fetus, he recognized the presence of Jesus and kicked in his mother’s womb out of recognition of the Savior. There is hardly a more beautiful, powerful, and inspiring story in the entire Bible than the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, but it never gets the respect it deserves in the show for some bizarre reason.
Right from opening scene of episode 1, we have completely pointless mockery of him by none other than the show’s protagonist, Simon (Peter). In the scene, Andrew is just about to recount his memory of being with John the Baptist at the moment when he proclaims Jesus to be the Son of God, and Simon interrupts to make a joke about John eating a bug. Viewers not already well-familiar with the Gospel of John will have no clue that what Andrew was about to quote one of the most important statements in the history of mankind:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.
—John 1:29-34
Instead we get a crack from Peter about him eating bugs. Why even bring up this amazing moment, if the only thing you plan to do with it is play it for laughs? You’re just confusing the viewer.
In terms of writing it’s not the least bit clever. It certainly doesn’t reveal anything about the personality of (the real, or biblical) Simon or Andrew. It barely even makes sense within the versions of the characters they’ve established in the show: why would Peter still be talking that way decades later? Even if he used to be a jerk, are we meant to believe he never grows as a man of God?
It’s disorienting enough to meet these characters many years later, with gray hairs and random emotional states, chopped up in disjointed conversations. Last we saw of them, they were just about to set off on a journey with Jesus with epic music, but now they’re reflecting on their memories in a dark room. The writers could have chosen any number of moments to comment on, but instead they bring up John the Baptist just to undermine him. To show that the apostles themselves find him comical, calling him “Creepy John” and emphasizing how disgusting his diet would have been, is to create in the viewer a readiness to dismiss John the Baptist as a kook, a loser, and a half-wit whose legacy is not worth taking seriously.
What did Jesus say?
Here’s what our Lord Jesus ACTUALLY said about John the Baptist:
After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear elegant clothing and live in luxury are found in palaces.
What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
—Luke 7:24-28
Every apostle would surely have honored John the Baptist’s memory as the prophesied messenger of God, whom Jesus declared to be greater than anyone ever born. John’s head was cruelly cut off in the prime of his life, which is a fate all of the apostles would have been liable to receive themselves. If the point is to make Peter into a callous, foolish, unloving, disrespectful oaf, this is just as erroneous and evil as portraying him as a wise-cracking bigshot who doesn’t have any sentimentality! From everything we know, Peter was hard-headed, old-fashioned, legalistic, but zealous and God-fearing, and had a difficult time understanding the profound messages of Jesus before he received the Holy Spirit (at Pentecost). One thing we never get from him is disrespectful sass about those Jesus has elevated.
Pattern of stupidity
In fact, none of the depictions of John the Baptist or his interactions with Jesus represent something believable. John is depicted as a “far out, man” attention-seeking hippie whose main concern is being controversial. He eats bugs and wears fur not because he’s a devout man of God who despises pretentiousness and finery, but as a wacky showmanship gimmick. The fact that Peter constantly (and I mean at every opportunity) insists on calling him “Creepy John” is a purely editorial move by writers who have no concept of what John represented to Israel at that time. Even the Pharisees feared John the Baptist, and believed he might have been the Christ, or Elijah. He was a severe, spirit-filled, discerning prophet of God whose task weighed heavily on him, not a street performer trying to think up anti-establishment slogans.
“I am not afraid of him,” John tells Jesus, “I’m going to march straight into his court, and I’m going to tell him to his face. My followers will love it!” This is the show’s idea of realism, we can suppose, but the question is why? Humanizing these characters does not require them to be stupid or at odds with one another.
Jesus: “You know how that’s going to end, don’t you?”
John: “I get arrested all the time. It’s what radicals do. I’ll be fine. Herod is afraid of me. The people hold me to be a prophet. Some say Elijah himself.”
Jesus: (laugh) “Maybe not THE Elijah. But we both know the Elijah-ness of your role.”
John: “Do we? Because I’m beginning to wonder why you’re taking this so slow.”
All of this is stupid. Such a conversation would never happen. No doubt the show wants to play up the contrast between John and Jesus because their methods were different, and eventually John sends his disciples to ask Jesus whether he really is the Messiah. But there is perfectly good reason to believe John had no doubts himself. He may have sent his disciples to Jesus just to prove to them that he was the one they should transfer their allegiance to the Christ!
John the Baptist glorifies Jesus
Just look at the reality of how John the Baptist promoted Jesus while he was in prison and you’ll see how off-base and disgusting The Chosen is, with all of their so-called “accuracy”:
Then there came to be a dispute between John's disciples and a Jew about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, this Man is baptizing, and all men are coming to Him!"
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear witness that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'
"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. Therefore my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is from the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who receives His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; and he who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
(John 3:25-36)
If you have already watched Season 2 of The Chosen, I hope you now realize how much they have cut out the best parts of John the Baptist’s amazing ministry and devotion to Jesus. They make him into “Creepy John” while omitting the beautiful worship and servitude he had toward his Messiah, which is still a powerful example today.
Is there a point?
Perhaps there is a reason why The Chosen goes out of its way to insult John the Baptist. A faithful retelling of his life and relationship with Jesus would destroy the “carpenter clown” narrative established in Season 1, and highlight the evil of the Pharisees, who get an absurd amount of sympathy in Season 2. John the Baptist defies many false narratives that the show seems more interested in exploring, and in my next critique of Season 2 I will expose the biggest of these false narratives.