It’s time for the worst-kept secret of The Chosen Season 5: the cleansing of the temple, as Jesus angrily reminds everyone what their priorities should be – but it could come at a huge cost.
Holy Week has officially begun. Jesus has made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Kafni is on the warpath after Ramah’s death, the Watcher is still… watching, and Peter wants to start preaching.
However, Episode 1 ended on an ominous note: after hinting heavily at his own death (we know what’s coming, but the apostles don’t) Jesus wept over Jerusalem, foreseeing the fall of the city. “For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on all sides,” he warned.
In the closing scene, he made a rope – and in The Chosen Episode 2, he finally cleanses the temple.
The Chosen Season 5 Episode 2 gives us another peek at the Last Supper
“Would you lay down your life for me?” Jesus asks his apostles. “I only have a few things left to say, so please, listen carefully.
“Remember when I sent you out two by two? I told you to take no money bag, or napsack, or sandals. Did you lack anything? Nothing. But it was far easier then, you were serving your own people, and they wanted you there, they welcomed your message. Our ministry was growing and there was little resistance.
“From now on, it will be different. You will be going into a hostile world. The nation has rejected me, and now they will reject you because you are not of the world… because I chose you out of the world. The world now hates you. If you have a money bag, bring it. Likewise, a napsack. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
At that moment, Simon grabs the two swords they own, but warns it won’t be enough to defend the 12 men against themselves. John interrupts with a correction, in light of Judas’ exit (which we still haven’t seen), “11.”
“My point is that you should be prepared for hostility and prosecution,” Jesus continues. “Ultimately, your protection will come from above.”
Nathaniel is confused. Jesus keeps telling them he’s leaving them, and that he’ll give them a helper. “Why not stay, Rabbi?” he asks.
“You will all fall away because of me tonight,” Jesus predicts, referencing Zechariah’s prophecy of scattered sheep. “After I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee,” he promises.
Peter tells Jesus he’ll never fall away. “Simon… Satan demanded to have all of you, that he might sift you like wheat. But I’ve prayed for you specifically that your faith may not fail, and when you have returned, strengthen your brothers,” Jesus says.
Peter tells Jesus he’d join him in death. “I’m giving you all of these warnings about what’s coming tonight and moving forward so when it all happens, you’ll know it was part of God’s plan and that I am who I say I am. I’m telling you, even you… the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you even know me,” Jesus says.
The mere prospect of this enrages and upsets the apostles, who all profess their loyalty to Jesus. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends,” he says.
“Then that’s what we’ll have to do,” Peter says, and Jesus replies: “That’s what I’ll have to do.”
A Ramah and Thomas flashback
After the opening credits, Episode 2 goes back briefly in time to when Ramah was still alive, just as she’s about to leave for a wedding with Thomas. Her mother gives her beads as a gift, and Thomas tells Kafni how he’s been a great role model.
“Don’t embarrass me or the vineyard,” Kafni asks, although he notes that Thomas is “obsessive.”
Naomi tells Thomas that Kafni believes him, and he says he appreciates them treating him like family. “I’ve always been able to spot potential,” he tells Naomi.
Peter preaches in Jerusalem and the Greeks arrive
The ChosenPeter tries to preach in Jerusalem… but he pretty much butchers Jesus’ parable (you can read the proper version in Matthew 18:21-35). At the same time, Simon catches sight of the Watcher lurking nearby, taking more notes; who is he, and why is he so interested in Jesus and the apostles?
Afterwards, Peter feels embarrassed, but Andrew tells him he’s still proud of him. Simon asks if anybody noticed the man taking notes, and while Andrew and Philip aren’t concerned or threatened, Simon clearly believes there’s cause for concern.
The Watcher hurries away, and Andrew meets a Greek man named Leander (he was in Season 3), alongside Dion and Fatiyah. They’ve traveled from the Decapolis to see Jesus and observe Passover. “May I ask a stupid question? What is Passover?” Fatiyah asks.
Philip puts it succinctly: “Passover is the celebration of the story of Exodus, where God freed the Israelites from bondage.”
As Andrew explains, they need to provide an animal offering to the temple, so they set off to the market to buy one.
There’s just one problem: the Greeks only have their own currency, and they need to pay with local money… and the exchange rate is extortionate (the interest rate is also “predatory”, Philip warns). When Leander tries to buy a goat, he’s overcharged and he needs to pay over 40% in taxes. “I don’t do this for free,” he says.
“Over a million people are here, that means over a million sacrificed animals. Do you think the wood to fuel the fires to incinerate the remains just falls from the sky? And the manpower to manage it all is gratis? All adult males are required to pay temple tax to finance this show,” he explains.
Philip asks him to be a bit more respectful on sacred grounds, but Leander gives into his demands and pays up. Elsewhere, Tamar meets a bird merchant from Libya, who’s so enamored by the appearance of Tamar’s emeralds that he gives them two doves for free.
“However far a stream flows, it doesn’t forget its origin,” he tells her. Tamar and Fatiyah then queue to hand over their doves to the priest.
John has a tense meeting with Malchus
Malchus, the chief servant to the High Priest, meets with John and Zebedee to purchase olive oil. Before they enter the “beautiful gate”, he asks if they’re both ritually clean and warns them there’s a higher standard of ritual purity.
“The Master of Oils requires a verbal confirmation of purity beyond simple mikvah immersion before entering to have your oils evaluated by the board,” he explains.
Rabbi Zebediah emerges and asks them too solemly swear on “pain of death” that they haven’t touched a corpse, mole, mouse, lizard, a menstrating women, or had a seminal discharge, or been diagnosed with leprosy, or eaten unclean foods. John is immediately anxious he’s unclean, so Malchus offers to stay with him outside, and they laugh about it.
“These old men… punishing us for having bodies,” Malchus says. “The law’s the law, I guess,” John says. According to Malchus, the High Priest has overseen a system that defines people by their place in the pecking order, and relishes turning people away.
“Caiaphas possesses over one Rabbi, his irritation permeates the entire household,” Malchus explains, hinting at the High Priest’s disdain for Jesus, who’s apparently putting himself at risk (he could even be tried for several offences, even though the people want to crown him king).
Before they can talk further, Zebedee walks out and Malchus hurries them away to Caiaphas’ office.
Herod plots Jesus’ death with Caiaphas
The ChosenCaiaphas is nervous about Jesus. He believes the people’s hysteria over Jesus (and their desire for him to become king) could provoke Rome. Herod says Pilate has an idea: kill Lazarus, thereby de-legitimizing his following (which is profoundly stupid, since Jesus is clearly equipped with the power to bring him back to life again).
Besides, as Caiaphas says, only Rome has the right to carry out capital punishment… but Herod thinks they could be sneaky (especially since Jesus and his apostles already fended off a stoning).
“I have received a prophecy from God,” Caiaphas says, as Herod continues to be sarcastic. “The prophecy is that one man will die for the people so that our nation will not perish.”
Herod then warns Caiaphas that the case against Jesus is too thin right now. “They care only if he’s a threat to them, and from what I’ve heard he’s only preached peace and forgiveness and love, and a bunch of other boring stuff,” he explains.
“Between you and me, I thought he might be the Baptizer back from the dead to avenge me… now he just seems amusing.”
Caiaphas doesn’t appreciate how nonplussed Herod seems about all of this, but there’s a problem: the people may believe Jesus is the Son of David, but he’s never said he’s the king. Herod may have ordered the execution of John the Baptist, but he has special dispensations, and he’s the one who needs to mediate the balance of power between the temple and Rome.
“If you succeed, I’ll be the one left to pick up the pieces,” he says. If he kills Lazarus, it doesn’t cause as much trouble as executing Jesus. However, the High Priest believes in the prophecy – specifically, the death of one man so that the nation can survive.
“Jesus is tearing the populace apart. Now, unless you want to alienate your subjects further, tell them to wait for Jesus to mispeak and incite the ire of Rome… and then they can take care of him before they feel the need to care of us,” Caiaphas explains.
“There is one thing people hate more than they love Jesus,” he adds, but before he says what that it is, the scene cuts to Thomas and Kafni in the city’s markets.
It’s as tense as you’d expect, and Kafni warns Thomas that he’ll sit down for his last supper with Jesus soon. He thinks he sees Ramah in the crowd, but it’s just Naomi. She’s not happy to see Thomas either, but she’s more compassionate than her husband. “She was supposed to bury me, not the other way around,” she cries.
Thomas tells Naomi that she loves Jesus, and that he did not kill her. “She believed everything he did,” he says.
Jesus cleanses the temple
The ChosenAs coins rattle the plates of market stalls and the stench of animals fills the air, Jesus arrives to condemn the traders. “This is a place to worship the father, not a shortcut,” he tells one woman, refusing to let her pass through. “Turn around and go back… now,” he orders.
He confronts the same currency trader from the start of the episode. “This place used to be filled with the sounds of prayer and worship to my father. Now I can’t hear worship, because of animal sounds and all of you arguing over prices… which sound about the same,” he says.
Jesus removes his whip from his satchel and starts flipping tables, causing havoc around the temple. He tells everyone to stop profaning his father’s house and leave, even freeing the animals from their pens and cages. The disciples can’t stop him, and soon, some stalls are alight with fire.
“Look at what you’ve done to my father’s house… den of thieves,” he shouts.
Soon, everyone knows; all of his apostles, Pilate, and Caiaphas, who watches from the temple’s steps. “What have you done?” Judas whispers, and the episode ends.
Make sure you know everything about The Chosen Season 5’s theatrical release schedule and find out where to buy the best merch from The Chosen. You can also read our breakdown of The Chosen’s deal with Prime Video, and find out how to stream the show for free before Season 5.
We also interviewed Jonathan Roumie, who revealed the most difficult Season 5 scene to film and when fans may see the transfiguration.
Source link
