The Chosen – Season 2 – Episode 1 Rewind

The spotlight swings dramatically onto James and John in this season’s opening episode, and let’s be honest—they absolutely steal the show. The Sons of Thunder don’t just enter the story; they charge in. They’re out there sowing a field like champs, earning a big thumbs-up from Jesus Himself. But the real fireworks don’t go off until later, when we finally discover why Jesus gave them that electrifying nickname. These brothers have a temper when someone disrespects their Rabbi. They’re ready to call down fire from heaven. Literal fire. From heaven. On people. You definitely don’t want to cross them on a bad day.

What they didn’t realize was that the field they so proudly sowed was destined for a Samaritan robber. And then Jesus—turning down dinner invitations from the religious elite—chooses instead to bring a meal to this crippled Samaritan’s home. During dinner, the man confesses how he became crippled, and suddenly the story sounds familiar. Very familiar. The robber from the Good Samaritan parable? The one who beat the Jew and left him for dead? That’s him. The Chosen flips the parable on its head and asks a question we rarely consider: what about the robber’s guilt? I can’t say I’ve ever paused long enough to wonder what became of him, but here he is—broken, remorseful, and face-to-face with the Messiah.

As if that twist weren’t enough, the episode also weaves in Jesus’ teaching on the Lost Sheep. The shepherd leaves ninety-nine perfectly fine sheep to chase down the one that wandered off. And when he finds it, he doesn’t scold it or drag it home—he rejoices. What a picture of redemption. If you’ve drifted, if you’ve been distracted by the world, if Jesus feels far away, this is your reminder: come back. God celebrates when we turn from sin and return to Him. Heaven throws a party over one repentant heart.

The episode bookends itself with an older John, quill in hand, wrestling with how to begin his gospel. He wants it to stand apart from Matthew’s account, and he’s searching for the perfect opening. The parallels between Genesis and John’s prologue are unmistakable. He interviews eyewitnesses, gathers details, and then closes with a line that should stop us in our tracks. John 21:25 reminds us that Jesus did so many things that the world itself couldn’t contain the books if they were all written down. We know the stories preserved in Scripture, but Jesus’ ministry lasted three years—three years of healing, preaching, restoring, and transforming thousands of lives. Imagine what we don’t know. Imagine the moments that never made it onto the page.

And yet, we have what God wanted us to have. So let’s dive into this season’s Bible study together. Feel free to download the first session of the bible study below. Let’s compare what we’re watching with what’s written. Let’s learn more about Jesus Christ, the One whose works could fill libraries, but whose recorded words and actions are more than enough to change our lives.