468: The Chosen S5E1 — “Entry” (Bonus Episode)

Summary

The BEMA Podcast: Episode 468 Summary

The Chosen S5E1 — “Entry” (Bonus Episode)

Release Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Marty Solomon & Brent Billings

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Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, BEMA hosts Marty Solomon and Brent Billings launch their commentary on Season 5 of The Chosen, focusing on S5E1, "Entry." They discuss the show's creative decisions, highlight its historical and scriptural nuances, and offer both praise and critical observations. The episode moves through the depiction of the Last Supper, the triumphal entry, Jesus' emotional state as he nears the cross, and the complex relationships between Roman and Jewish authorities. The hosts also reflect on how faithfully The Chosen engages with cultural context and the biblical text, often referencing their own scholarship and family reactions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Format Context & Viewing Experience

• Brent notes he's watching on Amazon Prime; Marty uses Blu-ray. They waited to release commentary until episodes were freely available on The Chosen app (00:19).
• The episode was recorded in advance to match schedules and ensure timely release.

2. Last Supper Scene Analysis

• Triclinium Table:
  • Brent points out the Passover meal uses a historically appropriate triclinium (U-shaped table), though not the same disciple arrangement as some classic depictions (01:10).
  • Marty: "I was pleased with that" (01:33).
  • Marty's children immediately noticed the table's accuracy, reflecting their familiarity with Passover tradition (02:06).
• Order of Scenes:
  • Writers reversed and split a lengthy Passover scene—viewers see the meal’s end first, with Judas already absent and the dialogue drawing mainly from John 16–17 (03:05).
• Historical Consistency:
  • Marty appreciates how elements of John’s gospel are woven into the dinner table discussion, giving emotional and theological depth (04:15).
  • "I really liked... how they worked in so much of the John discourse about the Holy Spirit and what's coming at the dinner table. I thought that was really, really, really well done." – Marty (04:25)

3. Women’s Absence at the Meal

• Marty's children immediately noted the missing women at the table, highlighting The Chosen's earlier inclusion of female disciples as the norm (06:19).
• "My kids have associated the women as a part of this havurah. And I really like that they've done that." – Marty (06:49)

4. Cinematic Details

• Brent discusses The Chosen's various aspect ratios, noting the Last Supper is more narrowly framed (1.66:1) compared to the cinematic 2.39:1 used elsewhere (07:19).
• The different ratios may have artistic intent, though the reason is unclear.

5. Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

• The procession into Jerusalem is scored with triumphant, contemporary music—a creative liberty that Marty finds at odds with his interpretation of the biblical scene (10:31).
  • "Jesus is smiling. There's rock and roll music... it's just like, very triumphant. It's a triumphal entry... and yet... that's not my take on this story." – Marty (10:31)
• Jesus weeping over Jerusalem—a major theme in Luke 19—is depicted later and somewhat separated from the entry; Marty feels this sequence alters the theological impact (10:55).

6. Recurring & New Characters

• Atticus: Noted for his constant eating in scenes—a running gag (12:12).
• Jake/Jesse: An observer/spying character in a blue cloak, introduced in earlier seasons and present throughout this episode (12:47–13:00).

7. Power Dynamics: Caiaphas, Pilate, & Atticus

• Marty is intrigued by the scene where Pilate holds the high priest’s garments—he is uncertain of its historical backing but finds the dynamic historically plausible (13:40).
• Brent and Marty discuss the tension and politics between Roman and Jewish authorities, with Pilate mocking Caiaphas over dietary laws and power relationships (14:07–16:16).
  • "Pontius having shellfish on purpose just to kind of toss him a dig... I feel like that dynamic is probably really historically accurate." – Marty (14:52)

8. Jesus’ Teaching & the Essene House

• Jesus teaches in the Temple (John 12) and experiences a voice from heaven—a scene rendered almost directly from the text (16:16).
• Joanna offers the disciples shelter at a wealthy Essene home. Marty lauds the historical nod but questions the opulence of the house, given Essene traditions (17:33–17:57).
  • "What I struggled with was the opulence of the house... I love that the Passover... definitely happens in an Essene home." – Marty (17:50)

9. Internal Discipleship Dynamics

• The disciples interpret Jesus’ words and actions with caution, anxiety, and occasional humor—particularly Peter and Matthew’s banter about documenting his evangelism (18:45).
• Nathaniel comments on the luxury of their accommodations (20:21).

10. Jesus’ Wanderings and Betrothal Scene

• Jesus blends into Jerusalem, joining a betrothal celebration, blessing the couple with words from Ruth, symbolizing inclusion and joy amidst tension (22:33).
  • Marty: "...getting a blessing from Ruth and this story of an outsider being welcomed in, I just really loved that." (23:04)
• The hosts discuss whether betrothals or weddings would typically happen during Passover—Marty surmises it would be plausible so long as ritual purity was maintained (23:20–23:52).

11. Vision of Jerusalem’s Destruction (Luke 19)

• Jesus is shown grieving over Jerusalem, with a vision of its future destruction (24:12–24:52).
  • Marty feels relocating this lamentation outside the triumphal entry scene risks supersessionist interpretations—a theological concern for him:
  • "When you move that out of the context of the triumphal entry... that sounds very supersessionistic... Versus when you put it in the context of the triumphal entry, it's about what do we want and what is triumph?" (24:52)
• Visual portrayal (VFX) of the destruction drew mixed reactions—Brent was initially put off, but found it improved on rewatching (25:39).

12. Leaving the Women

• Jesus quietly instructs Zebedee to send Mary (his mother) and Lazarus’s sisters to Bethany for safety—a detail that, while not in scripture, is plausible given their absence from subsequent events until the crucifixion (30:00–30:36).

13. The Bridle/Whip Symbolism

• Jesus retrieves Zima’s bridle (a recurring object) and begins to cut it, hinting at the cleansing of the temple (31:09).
  • "The image of that bridle and what it represents, substance-wise, is awesome... it comes from the Exodus, it's Passover week, Jesus is here to liberate..." – Marty (31:44)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Triclinium Table Setting
  "Part of what I said was everything up to this point, like...they’re at a raised table...they’ve done it in a way that is not awkward...my kids grabbed that immediately, which was kind of nice to know that they’ve been paying attention all these years." — Marty (02:06)

• On Women Missing from the Table
  "My kids have associated the women as a part of this Havre. And I really like that they've done that." — Marty (06:49)

• On The Triumphal Entry Music Choice
  "Jesus is smiling. There's rock and roll music...it's just like, very triumphant...and yet, anybody that knows BEMA knows that's not my take on this story." — Marty (10:31)

• On Pilate and Caiaphas Dynamic
  "I do think their relationship with Rome was at least as tense as it's being portrayed here." — Marty (15:01)

• On Jesus Lamenting Jerusalem
  "When you move that out of the context of the triumphal entry...that sounds very supersessionistic...Versus when you put it in the context of the triumphal entry, it's about what...is triumph." — Marty (24:52)

• On Jesus Blessing at the Betrothal
  "I just really loved that. That quote of the wedding blessing and how that landed." — Marty (23:04)

• On The Challenge of Depicting the Passion Week
  "These are very sacred ideas and images...it's going to be really hard for me to love this part of the story. So we'll see how this unfolds." — Marty (28:39)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:14 – Episode viewing logistics and approach to commentary release
• 01:10–04:25 – Last Supper/Triclinium discussion, creative liberties
• 06:19 – Immediate note of women's absence at Passover table
• 07:19 – Aspect ratios and cinematic choices
• 10:31 – Triumphal entry and musical tone
• 13:40–16:16 – Pilate/Caiaphas dynamic and power play
• 17:33 – Essene house background and its implication
• 22:33 – Jesus at the betrothal, Ruth blessing
• 24:12–25:39 – Jesus' despair, vision of destruction, and its theological significance
• 30:00–30:36 – Jesus directs women to safety
• 31:09 – Bridle/whip imagery setup for Temple cleansing

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Final Thoughts

• The hosts stress charity in interpretation, recognizing the creative and theological difficulty of dramatizing the Passion.
• Brent praises The Chosen for sparking deeper engagement with the biblical text:
  "I love that this show forces me to dig into the text. I mean, that's what we're trying to do here on BEMA." (32:04)

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Useful for both Chosen fans and Bible context enthusiasts, this episode models engaged, thoughtful conversation—praising The Chosen’s attention to detail while also challenging its choices through the lens of rigorous historical and textual analysis.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. This is the Behemoth Podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co host, Brent Billings. Today we dive into season five of the Chosen with a discussion of the first episode.

[B]

Yes, indeed. People have been waiting, Brent. I've been waiting for this season five commentary.

[A]

I'm actually watching this on Amazon Prime. I am unfortunately giving money to Bezos's Venetian wedding or whatever he's doing with it these days. But, yeah, so some people are three months into this, but we wanted to wait to start to release these episodes until they were generally available on the chosen app, free for everybody worldwide. So I think that our release is coinciding almost perfectly with that. We'll see if there's any sort of weird conflicts that put the delay on that. But we are recording a little bit in advance to try to, you know, make our schedules work. But that is the story I'm watching on Prime. You're watching on some Blu Ray discs, right, Marty?

[B]

Yeah. Yep. You sent me the Blu Rays and it's working just fine.

[A]

And you are watching as we go. You've only seen, I think, as we record this first episode. You've seen the first two, but you haven't seen the whole season yet, right?

[B]

At the moment, I've seen two episodes. That is correct.

[A]

Okay, well, then let's hit that spoiler horn and get into it, Marty. So we start off at the Passover table, and it is indeed a table with chairs. So, you know, I'm sure we have. We have things to say about that. It is a triclinium.

[B]

It is. I was pleased with that.

[A]

It's not the same positioning that we would necessarily ascribe to. If you've looked at the presentations for the episodes where we talk about the Last Supper, not positioning them in the same way, but, you know, it is.

[B]

I don't.

[A]

I don't know if it's exactly that. I actually, I'd be curious to look at the Leonardo da Vinci. I've never thought about where the disciples are in that. I know Jesus is in the center of that table. And I think it's just one long table in the da Vinci painting. But I would be curious to know where they put John and Judas and Peter in that.

[B]

Yeah. And it was one of the things that my. Actually, I was really pleased. It was one of the things that my kids, like, immediately noticed. They've watched me do enough public Seder meals. And then we've obviously participated as a family so many times that there were elements that they were immediately. One of them was they did Note the triclinium. And they did note the chairs. And part of what I said was everything up to this point, like, when they're eating in Peter's house, they're at a table on benches, I believe they're at a raised table and those kind of things. And I'm like, I hadn't noticed it, which means they've done it in a way that is not awkward, doesn't feel. And then this was just consistent with that. And I was like, okay, yeah, totally. But it would have been one of those things that would have been weird to. When people don't know that historical context. It would have been like, why are they laying on the floor? Like, it would have been. So I get it as a creator decision there makes sense to me. But they did. My kids grabbed that immediately, which was kind of nice to know that they've been paying attention all these years.

[A]

I did see an interview with the other writers, not Dallas, but the other two writers, and they were talking about how they originally wrote the. These Passover scenes as one big episode, and then they broke that episode down and reversed it. So we're basically seeing almost the end of the. Of the meal.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

As we. Like, Judas is already gone in this part of the scene. We're in John 16, mostly with the dialogue. There's a little bit of John 17 at the end of the scene. Jesus at one point asks Andrew to sing. And I think that's something out of Psalm 118, although I'm not totally sure of that.

[B]

If I remember right. I can't remember. See, I've listened to other people discuss it, so this might come in later. Is it later in the season where they're going to sing the Dayenu.

[A]

I'm not. I'm not familiar with that.

[B]

Is the song. I think the song that they sing in episode one is just a psalm. It's not the one where they're saying, it would have been enough. It would have been enough. It would have been. Right. It's not that one.

[A]

No, I don't.

[B]

Yeah, that's going to come up later. I've been told. Spoiler alerts. People didn't tell me. But anyway, that will come up later in the season, I believe.

[A]

Yeah. I can't remember exactly where that is, but it does us.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

But then, you know, there's just all kinds of details to notice there. The candles, the cups, the dishes. Or is there anything in all of the table setting that you want to point out or notice?

[B]

No, I was. I was relatively Maybe I was just in a good mood and they've earned. I've been giving them the benefit of the doubt. I really liked what I was looking at, and I didn't want to be nitpicky. And I saw good stuff. I just kind of liked. It was a somber mood. I'm not sure how you would do it any other way. It's not a critique. Part of what I teach on, when I teach on the Passover, is I think there are elements of the story where maybe it's. Maybe there's more joy worked into the evening than we might give it credit for. But that also feels very funny. I wouldn't expect them to, but, yeah, I'm looking at my notes. I have somber mood. I really, really liked, honestly, one of the things I really liked, table setting and everything, aside the content of the conversation, how they're weaving John into the supper, like the. The dinner, supper at the table discourse. I think my brain. And we talked about this in session six when we did John verse by verse. My brain always has this. Those conversations on the way to the garden, like, away from the supper, which is still a possibility. But I really liked, as a creator decision, how they worked in so much of the John discourse about the Holy Spirit and what's coming at the dinner table. I thought that was really, really, really well done.

[A]

Yeah. And they are definitely playing around with the order of Scripture here, pulling things from different places. This particular scene is fairly straightforward, but over the course of the season, there's stuff that's more mixed in than others. And we've looked at a lot of those situations before, especially as we went through John. Like, okay, it says they left here, but then it says they went to the garden here and where all that stuff falls. And the Gospels don't always agree on where those points are. So, you know, there's a little bit of room to play. Even though in this case, as we get into this part of Jesus's life, a lot of the dialogue is kind of already written, which seems like its own interesting challenge. But.

[B]

Yeah. And one of the other things my kids noted that I really was kind of, again, proud of was they noted the women were missing, like, immediately. They're like, where are the women? Which I'm sure that that may come up in some future episodes. I think they've hinted out a couple things about why the women probably aren't there. I'm thinking about Mary and where she's at, and they go to do something in this episode.

[A]

But anyway, yeah, we'll get to that.

[B]

Okay, great. But my kids immediately noticed it, which I was like, yes, like they have associated. And hats off to the chosen for that, because my kids have associated the women as a part of this Havre.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And I really like that they've done that. So.

[A]

And then we hit the credits. So coming out of the credits, this first scene, this is a little bit of film nerdery from me, Marty. The aspect ratio is a very cinematic 2.39:1 ratio, very wide frame.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And the Last Supper scene is in a 1.661. A little bit narrow, actually, pillar box, little bars on the right side of your right and left side of your tv. I don't know why they did this, and I don't remember noticing this when I saw it in the theater. So I don't know if the theatrical release was different than this home release, but they have a very tall frame for the Last Supper portion.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Which I don't even know why they necessarily need it because it just seems like there's a lot of. I don't know. I need to, like, think about this more because I did not notice this the first time at all. Completely went over my head for whatever reason. Maybe it wasn't even like that in the theater. But they do make this change. So I was like, well, maybe it has something to do with Leonardo da Vinci, but that's like a 1.9 to 1 ratio. So it doesn't match that. Like, I don't know, I feel like there's something there. There's got to be something to it. But I just. I haven't figured that out yet.

[B]

So, you know, you say that, and I did know I don't have near the level of nerdery that you do. And I could have never articulated it, but I did sense that completely out of the credits. When that first wide shot shows up, I noticed it. I was like, oh, wow, that's a. It's a great shot. I think I even said that out loud when I saw it. Like, whatever they're doing there, it got my attention.

[A]

Well, and the credits themselves are at the two to one ratio, which I think is what most of the show has been in. I think the whole show has been more or less in the two to one ratio. And the credits are still that. So you have three different ratios going on here.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But at this point, we get the little title card that says four days earlier, we see Shmuel visiting Caiaphas, and he just says, it's everything I feared. And then that's the end of that scene. But then we were back to where Jesus is on the donkeys approaching Jerusalem. The disciples hear the singing and they start to join in with that. Jesus seems to be in good spirits. And then Zebediah and Gadara and Yusuf all run up and they're like, hey, we understand what you're doing with the donkey. Yusuf kind of pulls Peter and John aside and he's like, hey, you guys should definitely be concerned with this. And then we get the Luke 19. The stones will cry out even if they don't. And so the disciples kind of push on and the other guys run off the other direction because they don't want to be seen going into Jerusalem with Jesus.

[B]

Yeah, I have notes in here. When they come running up, doesn't John step out? Maybe it's big James. Now my notes say John, but my brain is saying James. Somebody steps out with a knife, Is that right?

[A]

Yeah, maybe Z does. Yeah, No, I think it might be John, actually.

[B]

It's so weird. And not like weird weird. I mean, obviously they're gonna need knives later in the story when that comes up in conversation. It was just an odd, like, up to this point. I mean, it fits. It's not like it's odd that it doesn't fit. The tone's been changing. Their safety has been changing in the last season. Like, I can see that posture shifting, but that was a jarring. Like, they come walking up and all of a sudden there's like this bodyguard. I got my knife unsheathed. I was like, whoa, what's going on? Like, that was weird to me.

[A]

Sons of thunder, baby.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

They didn't quite internalize that lesson.

[B]

Yes, absolutely.

[A]

But then in the music, we get guitar and drums. It's like, you know, everybody's loving this whole procession thing.

[B]

Yeah, I have notes. I mean, this is one of the spots where I struggle with this scene to enjoy it and like it. I mean, Jesus is smiling. There's rock and roll music, like, in the background in the score. Like I'm. You know, it's just like, very triumphant. It's a triumphal entry. And yet, I mean, anybody that knows Baymon knows that's not my take on this story. Like, it's in this. Jesus will weep over Jerusalem.

[A]

Right. Which he does later in the episode.

[B]

But they move it into a totally different place, which changes the theological impact of that dramatically.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Because the triumphal entry is one that he's like. He's smiling. Like, he's almost like high fiving people as he Goes in like, yeah, let's do it. And like, in the story, they're playing rock and roll music and Jesus is weeping. Like, you don't get it. Like you don't understand real triumph and you don't understand the kingdom. So I struggled with that scene some. I get it. It makes sense. I understand why they did it. Just doesn't fit the tone and posture that I love in that story.

[A]

Yeah. Jesus does stop at some point as they're going through the crowd, and he sees blood coming out of the wall. And, you know, it's obviously troubled by this Mother. Mary and Mary Magdalene are the two who notice his change in demeanor and they're checking on him, but they end up moving into the city. You're seeing all sorts of people at this point. The Roman soldiers are running around. You have Atticus. You have Jesse and Veronica from several of the healing stories. We have Joanna. Atticus grabs an apple. I feel like I've noticed this somewhat, and my wife has pointed this out. Like, Atticus is always eating.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep, yep.

[A]

Totally always. Like, what? How do you land that job? Because I feel like most of the time in movies, it's like, you know, you pick up the cup of coffee and you bring it up to your lips, but then you don't actually quite drink it. And you pick up the burger and you're kind of holding it while you talk, but then you set it back down. You don't actually eat it, but Atticus is actually eating just all the time.

[B]

So true. So true.

[A]

And then Caiaphas is watching from the balcony as well as they enter the temple courts. Somebody. I'm calling Jake. I think maybe this was the actress. I can't remember why I called him that. But this guy is. It's the guy in the blue cloak.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

He's got the thing over his head and he's taking notes. We kind of see him moving around in the background.

[B]

Yep. Showed up last season with the raising of Lazarus at least. Maybe even earlier, but was at least there.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And then is going to follow us obviously, deep into this season.

[A]

And the disciples are arguing about, you know, what everything means. Thomas is very cautious. Peter is asking Zebedee to take some of the women aside until things calm down. And then our Jake guy sees Yusuf stealing away and changing clothes. So Yusuf is going into disguise here.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then we have Atticus visiting Pilate after this. And, you know, the food is brought in. And Atticus, of course, starts eating. He's eating shrimp. There's two men who bring in a large chest for Caiaphas. I guess this was where they store the priestly garments, the high priest garments.

[B]

Which is so weird. There's got to be history, that's all. Throughout my notes, I have never encountered that. There has to be some historical reference to that. Don't know if it's credible historical reference or not, but I can't believe they would. They've just made that up. But I've never encountered. Like that was such a. That was so intriguing to me. I'm like, Pilate has the high priest garments. Like, why? Like I know why, why that might be the case. I just never heard that before. It was such a shocker when I saw that. So very interesting.

[A]

Claudia pops in for a moment, Pilate's wife, and objects to the food is being disrespectful. Like, why do you have to bring all that stuff in here? You know, during this week? Like, she's a little bit. I don't think she really cares that much, but she's also like, come on man, don't slap him in the face. And he's like, well, I've got pork too. And so then Caiaphas comes in. At this point, Atticus leaves, still eating, and Pilate is kind of mocking Caiaphas. Caiaphas is short. He's just like, I just need the stuff. And then there's this conversation about how Rome owns them and lends it to them in exchange for control of the crowds. And there's, you know, there's this debate about like, who's really in control here, who owes who what and how much and whatever.

[B]

Yeah, I thought they depicted that relationship and not just in this episode. It's one of the things that I really like how they're doing. I mean there's people, I don't know if there's debate, but people portray that relationship in different ways. Like some of the Jewish history will talk about these Herodian priests as being unbelievably Hellenistic, super pro Roman. You almost get this picture of them being buddy buddy with the Romans. And it's probably far more like some people would even say, oh, they wouldn't even turn down the shellfish at all, at all. These people don't care at all. And yet I feel like the historical evidence really does point towards the priests were a group of people that kept kosher, they kept the law. There might have been a lot of corruption, but it was also this like self justified self righteousness. They still were eating kosher. And I do think their relationship with Rome was at least as tense as it's being portrayed here. So I just like the, you know, Pontius having shellfish on purpose just to kind of like, toss him a dig, kind of the back and forth. We own you. Like, I feel like that dynamic is probably really historically accurate. So I've appreciated the dance that they do or how they portray that, should I say?

[A]

Yeah. And he knows that he has some level of power over them and is able to kind of push the buttons a little bit without, you know, he's not actually trying to shove a shrimp down Caiaphas throat. But he's also not going to be shy about making comments.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

So then we have Jesus teaching the temple courts. We're back in John 12 at this point. Joanna comes in. She finds Tamar, offers them a place to stay. And then Jesus is very visibly troubled at one point, and everyone is just kind of like, watching silently. And then we get the voice from heaven. This is all from John 12, like, almost, you know, straight from the text. He skips the Son of Man statement in question from that passage. And then at the end of the passage, it says, when he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. And so that is more or less how that plays out. But then there's the comedic relief. There's an extra strike of thunder, and everybody looks up, and Jesus is like, nope, it's just thunder this time. And then we have this conversation between John and Mary Magdalene. They're like, whoa. What do you think he means by die? Die? In what sense?

[B]

Yeah, I liked that. I liked that scene. I love the passing reference Joanna makes to an Essene house. Now, I think that what they're doing is they're portraying. We'll see as the rest of the season unfolds. It looks to me like they're essentially saying that Jesus is staying with his disciples in this Essene home. And that's where the Last Supper.

[A]

Essene. Is that what it was?

[B]

Yes. She says an Essene house there. She says there's a house, and they're Essenes that are out of town. Because I like to get away because of the corruption of Passover, which I love, the historicity of that. What I struggled with was the opulence of the house.

[A]

Right. That's what I was wondering. That's what made me think it wasn't Essenes.

[B]

Yep. Which, again, a lot of Essenes kept their role as priests, and the priests would have very opulent houses like this.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But when you became an Essene, usually as far as we know the rule of order of the Essene community, you sell all that. So I wouldn't think they would still have that house. But I digress. The one thing that I. I think I do see in the text is that Jesus is lodging not at that home. He's lodging at a. Get Shemini an olive press. We'll see what they do with that later. But I did. I did love and hated some small little details about that, but I. I did love that. Again, it was one of those details you didn't have to work in. You could easily left that out. But I really liked. I caught that as she. As she went by and. And was saying that, and I was like, oh, that's because I do believe that the Passover, that last supper, definitely happens in a Nessne home. That's central to what I believe historically is taking place. So I love that. It was great. Good job.

[A]

Well, then Jesus tells his disciples to go get settled, to start spreading his words throughout the city. Peter has a little twinkle in his eye and gets started right away with. That takes Matthew with him. And he was like, matthew, you're going to write this down. And Matthew's like, oh, no. I mean, first of all, Jesus already said this. I already wrote it down. But also, you're going to be terrible. Yeah, absolutely. I love their continued ribbing of each other. And then we have Coffney coming into the city. This was Rhema's dad, and he has a group of people with him, and they're chanting Psalm 11. And Jesse greets this group and asks them about their intentions. And coffee's kind of confronting the whole situation that's going on here.

[B]

Now, is it Jesse or Jake? Is that the spy?

[A]

Oh, shoot. Did I write that down wrong? It might have been the. I think you're right, actually.

[B]

Right. Earlier you called him Jake, which I don't know what his name is.

[A]

Yeah, that's got to be the actor's name. I don't know where I would have got that from.

[B]

Yeah, totally. But that guy.

[A]

Yeah, that guy.

[B]

Jj. We'll call him jj. Jesse. Jake.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And there's like, you know, where is he? And he's like, I don't know. I didn't meet him. I just saw him come in. And blah, blah, blah. He's like, yeah, I don't think you guys realize what you're walking into. Like, this guy that you're speaking out against is incredibly popular right now. You're very much in the minority. And he, like, takes that to me, like, oh, you're on his side? It's like, well, no, I don't. I don't actually know him, but, like, I'm just looking around like, this is what's going on. This is the reality. Any thoughts on Psalm 11? Why they use that specific psalm for this scene?

[B]

Not in particular. I wondered some of the same stuff. It's probably relatively straightforward, but I didn't spend any time trying to pull those threads together.

[A]

Fair enough. Then we are settling into the house, and Nathaniel's like, this is going to be the nicest Passover I've ever experienced. Yeah, you know, in some ways, probably. And then the disciples are continuing to argue about Jesus words, the crowd's reaction to it. Tamara is complimenting the furnishings and asking Joanna about the images. And Mary makes this awkward comment about Chuza. And I don't completely understand what was going on there, but she's like, oh, I'm so sorry. And she leaves. She finds John. They're looking at the frescoes inside of the house, and John is kind of explaining the stories. Interesting how John is familiar with this, but also totally fits with what we see John doing. Speaking to both Greek and. Absolutely.

[B]

I had the same thought, at least later on in the story. And, yeah, totally loved it. Loved that it was him. Love that he knew. I thought it was just a perfect representation of who he is historically. I loved it.

[A]

So as they're discussing the symbolism of what Jesus was saying and doing, then we see Jesus wandering around in disguise, sort of, and he walks through a group that is going through Psalm 136. And apropos of nothing, I don't think there was anything to that necessarily, but he was just walking through there. And then he walks by Coffee's group, and they're arguing about the motivations of Jesus and John. I assume that means John the Baptist. I didn't write that down, but. And then Jesus wanders into this betrothal celebration and just gets swept up in the dancing and then loses his disguise. And a kid recognizes him. The party stops. Everybody bows to him. And I like this line. Jesus said, I was out for a walk, and I suppose I got swept up in your joy. And the couple was like, well, hey, can we get a blessing real quick? And he's like, sure. And he blesses them. He blesses the group, I'm sure, like, the excitement of the day. And the kid, like, not really. And Jesus is very kind, like, hey, this party isn't for me, but I'll bless you guys and let you get back to it. So it was a nice scene, I thought.

[B]

I loved how the wedding blessing hits. It's a standard wedding blessing that I'm familiar with, and it comes from the Book of Ruth. So on one hand, it wasn't cool because they chose it. It is the wedding blessing. But in the context of Jesus and the story and the Gospels and the ministry getting a blessing from Ruth and this story of an outsider being welcomed in, I just really loved that. That quote of the wedding blessing and how that landed. I thought it was a really cool little mini scene that added something really good to the episode.

[A]

And I assume, like, this kind of thing would be a normal thing to go on during a Passover time. Like, everybody's coming to Jerusalem anyway, so if your family's in different areas, like, this is a good time to have a wedding. Or is that the other way around, where it's like, no, it's Passover, like, you wouldn't do anything. El.

[B]

I don't know. I am not sure my brain wants to say, yeah, sure, they would do a wedding during this time especially. And maybe it's like you said, maybe it's just a betrothal party, not a wedding.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's true. They do say they're celebrating betrothal, not a wedding.

[B]

Sorry. Yeah. So, yeah, that's. And it is a good time, I would think. It's okay. I can't think of anything that would get in the way of that. You just don't want to be unclean for Passover. That's the one thing you're staying very true to. You're trying to be. Make sure you're clean. Because if you're unclean that week, it's bad news.

[A]

So then we see Jesus kind of climbing up above the temple. He's distressed by all the financial dealings that he sees going on. He turns around, he sees the blood coming out of the wall again. And then he sees this vision of the destruction of Jerusalem. And I have Luke 19 written down. So I think this is where he.

[B]

This is where he enters the prayer, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, and the mourning of you who kill the prophets. Or maybe he doesn't actually say that part of it, but there's the grieving, lamenting over Jerusalem, I believe.

[A]

Oh, yeah, this must be his quote. I think Luke 19 is his quote. As he approached Jerusalem, saw the city, he wept over it, which speaks to what you were talking about earlier. And he said, if you even you had only known on this day what would bring you peace. But now it is hidden from your eyes. The Days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and circle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another. Because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.

[B]

Which, again, when you. And this isn't some huge condemnation, but I definitely did not love moving. When you move that out of the context of the triumphal entry and you put it where they put it, the danger is that sounds very supersessionistic. That sounds very much like a judgment against the Jews as he's looking out over the money changers and like a denouncement of, like, Christianity is coming and this old Jewish thing is getting chucked out and tossed out. Versus when you put it in the context of the triumphal entry, it's about, what. What do we want? And what is triumph? And that's why the theological difference of where you place that verse makes a big difference for me. And struggled with the placement of it there. I don't want it there because that does something else. Yeah, I want it in the Triumphal.

[A]

Entry, the portrayal of the destruction. I don't know what to think about it. The first time I saw it in the theater, I was like, oh, this visual effects looks super weird. But I didn't think it worked at all. I thought it was the worst scene in the episode. And then when I was watching it with Maggie later on, I was like, oh, this actually. This actually looks pretty good. And then I watched it back again to take my notes and I'm like, I don't know about this anymore. And then I watched some behind the scenes and I'm like, I don't even know how much visual effects there is here because they have a lot of practical fire going on. I'm sure they added something to some extent, but, like, it seems like they have a lot of stuff on set. So I don't know what to think about that. How did you feel watching that portrayal?

[B]

I think I was actually so torn up about the theological comments I was just making that I wasn't like. Because this was definitely becoming about the judgment of Jerusalem, which, again, if. And I don't know what they're going to do with the rest of the season if they don't do the. Here's the one thing that would make a difference for me. If they're not going to do the one stone on top of another. See all these stones? They won't be left one on top of another Rome is going to cut. Like, there is a discussion in the final week very clearly about the destruction of Jerusalem. I'm all in for that. This scene would totally fit there. If they're not going to do that elsewhere. And this is kind of covering that thematic element of the last week. I'm fine. I have a feeling they're going to also do it later. I can't imagine they won't do that part of the last week, but, hey, I don't know. But that's as far as the. I probably had the same. Every time that they, like, he would see the blood on the stone or any of those added elements, I was like, eh. Eh. Yeah, yeah. It wasn't like, huge. It wasn't like some. Whatever. It was just like, I'm not in love with that effect.

[A]

Well, yeah, I don't know exactly. There have been a few things that they've skipped over, supposedly. Although there's plenty of room for flashbacks in the future to end up covering some of those stories that it seems like they skipped.

[B]

So.

[A]

I don't know. We'll see what. What plays out with that.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, how many times have I gotten to the end of a season and really liked how something got all wrapped up by the time we're done? And I told my kids at the dinner table the other day, we watched episode two, and they were asking me some more. I think they're. I don't know why, but they were. They were more engaged this season about, like, dad, what'd you think about that? What'd you think about that? And I don't know if it's because they were processing, but this whole season you get. And probably the next season, you start dealing with the last week, the week of Passion for Jesus, you start talking about the crucifixion. These are very sacred ideas and images and not the kind of thing where you're going to start to play gymnastics about history and context. And like, you got to. You got to be really careful about how you. So it's going to be really hard for me to love this part of the story. So we'll see how this unfolds. But I'm also realistically, like, I'm not expecting them to. To please me at every turn as far as my taste, because I've got some historical opinions about what something was or wasn't and why it makes a difference theologically. And. And it's kind of like the Samaritan woman at the well, like, it's not going to be the Popular opinion, I don't expect them to try to take that. That angle, but that's what I told my kids. Like, this is. This is a hard week to make probably anybody happy. And it's tricky because these are really sacred moments. The last week of Jesus is one of the most sacred times of the Christian faith. So getting this right and doing it well is going to be really, really hard.

[A]

Yeah. And we struggle to approach it in session three and elsewhere.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

It's not an easy thing to grasp. There's so much going on, and they're playing a lot with the timeline here, jumping back and forth, doing something's in reverse. Some things forward, some things flashback. Like, there's all kinds of stuff. So, yeah, till we get to the end of the season, and really probably the end of next season as well, seeing how all this stuff wraps up and plays out is going to be tough to fully grasp.

[B]

Yeah. So maybe part of what I'll do, as we do this season and next in my commentary, is try to be full of grace as far as the decisions they're making and simply try to give my less about what they're doing as creators and filmmakers and more of, like, I don't see it that way. And here's why it matters to me, because it'll. It'll get a little tricky otherwise, but I'll try to recognize how hard it is to do what they're doing.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. So then we have Jesus coming back to the house. He wakes up Zebedee and asks that his mom and Laz's sisters go to Bethany for a few days. And this is where I was like, what. What is the deal with that? Like, I don't know. That specific conversation is not recorded. But I went and checked. I was like, do any of these women show up at any other point before the cross? And they indeed do not. So, I mean, going back to the idea of plausibility, it is plausible that he asked them to leave for a little while because they're not actually there. We don't see them there.

[B]

Yeah, I thought about similar things and I was like, yeah, no, I am fine with it. They have a particular way that they're doing it. Like he wants to keep his mom safe and they decide to go with too. That all makes sense to me. So, yeah, it made sense.

[A]

And he kisses Zima while she's sleeping and then takes the box from under her bed that has the bridle in it. And John, like, notices what's going on and gets up and is kind of following Jesus from a distance, and then Jesus starts cutting into the leather. And that is the end of this episode.

[B]

You're just going to get me out of here before I say anything about. I knew it, Brent. I knew that Bridal was going to come back. I thought it might have been the triumphantry. I thought we might be done. I was like, okay, I'm fine. I'm like, oh, boy.

[A]

I thought the same thing. So, yeah. The other thing I'll know is that the credit ended with this song that I was not aware of in the theater. They played episodes one and two back to back, and I don't think there were credits between the two. And so I don't. I don't know where the song came from, but it was. It was a different song. I got to hear it for the first time watching at home. So.

[B]

And I will say, as much as I don't love the. The cheese of the bridal being turned into a whip, the image of that bridal and what it represents, substance wise, is awesome because it comes from the Exodus. It's Passover week. Jesus is here to liberate.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What's happening in the temple courts. Like, we should all know what's going to happen with Whip in that regard. It's perfect and brilliant. So kudos to that. We all probably can sense how I feel about the idea as a whole, but I thought as far as what it is, I love the connection. I love it.

[A]

Absolutely. Well, that will do it for this commentary episode. Folks can find more details about our [e-mail] if you want to get in touch with us. If you have some ideas, if we missed some scripture references or something that you think are interesting, like, feel free to let us know about that. I will say the trick that I found is when. When I'm searching for a scripture search in the esv, because that seems to be how they are quoting things when they do an exact quotation. So searching in the ESV is how I find most of what I've found, But some of it's still a little squishy. So I'm like, was it Psalm 118 or was that from. From somewhere else? So, yeah, lots of questions. I love that this show forces me to dig into the text. I mean, that's what we're trying to do here on Behmo. For me, that's what this, this show does. So whatever we're doing, if we're getting in the text, I'd say it's a good thing at the end of the day.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So thank you all for joining us on the Bama podcast. We will talk to you again soon.