2 Fun Resources that Reveal Jesus Christ’s True Identity, Character, and Immense Love for You

December 19, 2024 Jenn Murray

One of the most helpful and important foundational truths to know about Jesus is that He is a reflection of God the Father.
Jesus says this Himself in the book of John:

John 14:9 (NLT) says: Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?” [Emphasis mine.]
The Message version (which includes verse 10) says: “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.” [Emphasis mine.]

When Jesus said these words, the disciples - and others around Him - were struggling to understand who Jesus really was.
Partly because Jesus was intentionally being cryptic or holding back information until the right time, based on what He knew was going to happen to Him.
And partly because the Jews had their own ideas about who Jesus - aka the Messiah - would be. For example, they believed that Jesus would build His own kingdom by removing them from under Rome’s rule. When, in reality, the kingdom Jesus came to create was a much different one.
Despite having the Bible - and a fuller picture of the story - today, understanding Jesus can be challenging.

One, because the Bible is a tough read for numerous reasons. (Such as it was written 2,000 years ago in a different time and culture.)
And, two, because we can initially look at Jesus through a lens skewed from our ideas of who He is - or who we’ve been taught He is.

But the truth is, the more we learn about Jesus - and the more closely we look at Jesus - the more we’ll see and understand God the Father.
And sometimes, looking at Jesus can be a great way to start getting clarity on who the Father is. Especially if things like bad teaching or having an abusive father are making it really hard to truly see, understand, and accept God the Father.
So, to help you zero in on Jesus in a way that’s biblically based and fun, here are two resources you can use.

Note: I want to preface this by saying that I am not paid, in any form, to recommend this TV series to you. I’m recommending it because I am a personal fan and because, as a creator, I understand the power of the visual arts.
As their website says: “The Chosen is a groundbreaking historical drama based on the life of Jesus Christ, seen through the eyes of those who knew him. Set against the backdrop of Roman oppression in first-century Israel, the seven-season show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ revolutionary life and teachings.”
Right now, you can binge Jesus for 4 seasons. (Three more seasons will be released, starting with season 5 in April.)

You can watch on the free Chosen app, Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Roku, Apple TV, FireTV
For the complete list visit: https://www.thechosen.tv/

There are many reasons why I love and appreciate The Chosen. But here are my top three:

We get to experience Jesus as a man "in real life." It's one thing to read about Him in the Bible, but another to see Him as a man who laughs, cries, struggles, and endures harsh living conditions along with a huge calling.
Women are in the forefront. There’s an image from one of the episodes that I keep on my vision board every year. It’s one of my favorite scenes because Jesus is pictured with a group of women. And when do we ever see that? Plus, from Episode 1, The Chosen focuses on women and God's love for them. (It also depicts the women who supported Jesus's ministry in numerous ways.)
It helps us with the cultural context. One of the reasons that reading the Bible is challenging is because it was written during a very different time and culture. But when we get to see those people and events on the screen, it helps us to both understand that time and better immerse ourselves in it.

Note: While The Chosen stays true to Scripture, they do take some creative license. For example, they sometimes adjust the timeline of lesser events or have woven together events and characters in ways that aren’t clarified in the Bible, but could be possible. Just FYI in case you compare its stories to the Bible.

Launching here in just a few weeks, on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025, Relate Escape Place will bring together young women - just like yourself - who struggle with feeling good enough for God.
Inside this safe, secure, and strategic space, you'll develop biblically-based knowledge, mindsets, practices, and relationships so that you can find freedom in God’s true character; feel accepted, loved, and valued; and approach God (and others) confidently as yourself!
One of the ways you’ll transform is through mini courses. And when you join, you’ll have immediate access to the following three:

Discover who Jesus is and why He’s a reflection of God’s character and His love through you via these series of mini courses.
And then, as a reward, binge some Jesus by watching The Chosen - giving you a well-rounded idea of who Jesus is!