The Chosen (TV series)

On the outskirts of Bethlehem, during the Roman occupation, Simon (Aaron Himelstein), a crippled shepherd, brings a lamb for sacrifice. While Simon asks the priest about the coming Messiah, the lamb he brings is discovered to have a blemish. The priest rejects it, demanding a perfect and spotless lamb. Simon hears a reading of Isaiah from a nearby synagogue and goes in, only to be expelled. On the way home, the shepherd meets a couple from Nazareth, a pregnant Mary (Sara Anne) and her husband Joseph (Raj Bond). He offers a drink of water to Mary. That evening, far from his fellow shepherds, Simon is forced to eat alone. Suddenly, the shepherds hear the angelic announcement of the birth of the Lamb of God, and they immediately head to Bethlehem. Full of joy, Simon is miraculously healed as he follows after, leaving his staff behind. The shepherds arrive and witness the birth of the Messiah. Seeing the baby, Simon asks his name. Mary and Joseph reply that he will be called "Jesus". Leaving the manger, the shepherds tell everyone what they have seen. The priest from before asks where the spotless lamb for sacrifice is, and Simon simply smiles.

In Capernaum, Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish), going by the name "Lilith", wrestles with real demons. While Nicodemus (Erick Avari) is touring the region, Praetor Quintus (Brandon Potter) approaches him demanding help collecting unpaid taxes. Matthew (Paras Patel) deals with the turmoil of being considered a traitor by his fellow Jews. Simon (Shahar Isaac) and his brother Andrew (Noah James) struggle with their tax debts to Rome. At a centurion's behest, Nicodemus goes to the Red Quarter to perform an exorcism on "Lilith" but fails, leaving him shaken. On tax day, Andrew is unable to pay, but Simon tells Matthew that he has an arrangement with Quintus. The arrangement is to inform Quintus about his fellow Jews fishing on Shabbat. Andrew disapproves, considering it a betrayal. Following a suicide attempt, "Lilith" loses hope for her condition, until she encounters Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), who calls Mary Magdalene by name, healing and restoring her.

At the Sea of Galilee, Simon misleads the Romans to save fellow Jews from being caught. Quintus suspects Simon of duplicity and sends Matthew to follow him. Shmuel (Shaan Sharma) tells Nicodemus of a baptizer on the Jordan River. Simon confesses to Eden they are under threat from Rome. Running from the Jordan, Andrew claims to Simon they are saved, as John the Baptizer (David Amito) has identified the Lamb of God. Simon prepares to fish. Andrew, Zebedee, Big James, and John arrive to help, but they catch nothing. In the morning, they see someone teaching a crowd on the shore. Andrew recognizes the teacher as Jesus, who asks to preach from their boat. After the sermon, Jesus tells Simon and Andrew to cast their nets. Suddenly, many fish appear, and they catch enough to pay off their debts. Simon kneels before Jesus to surrender himself. Inviting Simon and Andrew to become fishers-of-men, Jesus also calls Big James and John. Witnessing the miracle, Matthew is shocked by its impossibility. Nicodemus visits the imprisoned baptizer to ask about miracles.

In Cana, 26 AD, Mary helps her friend prepare for her son's wedding. Nicodemus interrogates the detained John the Baptizer concerning signs and wonders. Simon tells Eden that he will quit fishing to follow Jesus. Thomas (Joey Vahedi) and his business partner Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami) prepare wine for the wedding. Jesus and his students make their way to the wedding, while John the Baptizer explains his ministry and Jesus' ministry to Nicodemus. During the wedding, Thaddeus and Little James share how Jesus called them. Thomas and Ramah worry as the wine runs low. Mary immediately asks her son to intervene on behalf of the bridegroom's family and tells the servants to do everything Jesus says. Jesus instructs them to fill jars with water and they obey, yet Thomas expresses doubts. Jesus prays his readiness to his Father, turning the water into wine. When the wine is served, the master of the banquet exclaims it is the best he has ever tasted. Thomas and Ramah accept the invitation to join and meet Jesus in Samaria in 12 days.

Matthew and his associate Gaius (Kirk B. R. Woller) deliver Simon's tax payment to Quintus. Nicodemus tries to correct Shmuel for detaining the Baptizer. On the way back to Capernaum, Jesus and his students befriend an Egyptian named Tamar (Amber Shana Williams). Suddenly, a leper (Stephen Hailo) approaches Jesus on the road, asking Jesus to heal him. Jesus cleanses him, telling him not to speak of it. The group heads to the house of Zebedee and his wife Salome (Nina Leon). As Jesus preaches, a crowd gathers, drawing the attention of both the Pharisees and the Romans. After witnessing the healing of the leper on the road earlier, Tamar forces her way through the crowd to help her paralytic friend (Noé de la Garza) meet Jesus. Tamar's friends climb to and remove the rooftop, lowering the paralytic. Jesus forgives the paralytic, disturbing the Pharisees. Jesus heals the paralytic, and Matthew writes it down. Shmuel quickly calls on the Romans to seize Jesus. The disciples immediately flee and Nicodemus seeks Mary Magdalene to meet with Jesus.

In the Sinai Peninsula, 13th century BC, Moses (Stelio Savante) fashions a bronze serpent, much to the confusion of his assistant Joshua (Advait Ghuge). In Capernaum, 26 AD, Gaius escorts Matthew to show his gratitude for his promotion. Quintus questions Nicodemus concerning the miracle worker. Jesus agrees to meet with Nicodemus by night. After witnessing the miracles Jesus did, Matthew struggles to reconcile his mathematical understanding of reality and visits his mother, hoping to find answers. Meeting with Nicodemus by night, Jesus explains the Kingdom of God and being born again. Jesus illustrates himself as the Son of Man using Moses and the bronze serpent as an example. He tells of God's love for the world and his mission to save mankind from sin. As Jesus invites Nicodemus to join him, John records their conversation. Nicodemus worships Jesus, declaring him the Son of God. In the morning, Jesus and his students pass by Matthew's booth. Jesus invites Matthew to join him, and Matthew promptly follows.

In Canaan, 1952 BC, Jacob (Amato D'Apolito) and his sons dig a well in Shechem. In Sychar, 26 AD, Photina (Vanessa De Silvio), a suffering Samaritan woman, fetches water from Jacob's Well. At Matthew's house in Capernaum, Jesus answers questions from the Pharisees, including Yussif (Ivan Jasso), with the words of Hosea. Shmuel petitions Nicodemus concerning false prophecy. Jesus goes to Simon's house and heals his mother-in-law. Learning Matthew left, Quintus issues a decree against religious gatherings outside synagogues. As Jesus and his students complete their preparations to depart Capernaum, Nicodemus leaves money for them. Gaius bequeaths Matthew's wealth to Matthew's father, Alphaeus (Troy Caylak). On the road, Jesus decides to go through Samaria, much to the shock of the disciples, especially Big James (Kian Kavousi) and John. When they arrive in Sychar, the disciples go to town to buy food while Jesus stays at Jacob's Well, where he meets Photina, asking her for water. Jesus offers her "living water", expresses true worship, and announces that he is the Messiah. After hearing Jesus telling her everything she did, Photina believes Jesus is the Christ and tells everyone about him. The disciples return and Jesus publicly launches his ministry.

During shiva for the martyred Big James (Abe Martell) in 44 AD, John interviews fellow disciples as he writes their eyewitness accounts for his book. In Sychar, 26 AD, Big James and John plow a field while Jesus continues to teach the Samaritans. Thomas and Ramah arrive to join the group. Tension builds among the disciples as they wrestle with the increasing fame of Jesus in Samaria. Ramah's father expresses his unbelief in Jesus and leaves, blessing his daughter. Jesus and his students have dinner with Melech, a former robber now crippled. In the morning, Melech is healed. Big James and John assume leadership roles but the other disciples oppose their presumptions. When James and John try to present their plans to Jesus, a group of Samaritans shows extreme hostility towards them. James and John ask Jesus to rain fire to destroy the Samaritans. Jesus rebukes James and John for their prejudice. After the near-violent encounter, Jesus gives them a new nickname: "the sons of thunder". Invited to a synagogue to read a scroll of Moses, Jesus reads the first scroll of Genesis, and in 44 AD, John remembers it and writes the introduction for his book.

In Caesarea Philippi, Nathanael (Austin Reed Alleman) fails in his project under a Roman commission. In Bashan, Philip (Yoshi Barrigas) arrives from John the Baptizer seeking to meet Jesus, but the disciples are hesitant. Simon is jealous of him as Philip begins to mentor Matthew. A distressed Nathanael sits under a fig tree and grieves, reciting a Psalm and crying out, asking if the Lord sees him. Hearing nothing, he burns his architectural drawings of a synagogue. At camp, Thaddeus advises Matthew yet tension builds between Simon and Matthew. Philip visits and comforts Nathanael, telling his downcast friend about the one they've been waiting for their entire lives. Nathanael is skeptical but agrees to meet Jesus, who tells him he saw him under the fig tree and heard his cry. Upon hearing this, Nathanael declares Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel. As the group heads to a new city, John arrives with a word that Jesus' fame is growing.

In Syria, the disciples take shifts to help Jesus deal with a large crowd hoping to be healed. Philip continues to mentor Matthew, while Mary Magdalene and Ramah start to study Torah. A long, exhausting day turns into night as the disciples share how they perceive the Messiah. Jesus' mother, Mary, arrives from Nazareth to help with her son's students. Around the campfire, the group tries to get to know each other better. They discuss their experiences and their inner turmoil, but tensions erupt when Simon disputes with Matthew about being chosen. Tempers flare as sides are taken and the disciples begin to argue, forgetting the purpose of why Jesus chose them in the first place. All of a sudden, an exhausted Jesus says a good night to them and his mother, Mary, attends to him. The disciples listen and watch in shame.

Jesse (Dennis Apergis), a paralytic, spends 38 years searching for a cure and stays at the Pool of Bethesda while his brother, Simon (Alaa Safi), joins the Zealots, training to become one. Jesus and the disciples head to Jerusalem to prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles. Assisted in Jerusalem by fellow Pharisee, Yanni (Wasim No'mani), Shmuel preaches against false prophecy. The disciples discuss the scriptures as they celebrate the feast. After being informed concerning Shmuel, Jesus decides to go to Bethesda Pool to meet someone, bringing Simon, John, and Matthew. Simon Z. visits Jesse to bid goodbye to him. At Bethesda, Jesus approaches Jesse, asking him if he wants to be healed. Jesus heals Jesse and John writes down the miracle. Witnessing the healing, Yanni and other Pharisees are upset and admonish Jesse for carrying a mat on Shabbat. The Zealots plot to assassinate a Roman magistrate with Simon Z. leading the plan, but Atticus Aemilius (Elijah Alexander), a Roman cohorte urbanae, discovers their plan. When the assassination plan is being carried out, Simon Z. is distracted as he sees Jesse walking. The two brothers reconcile and Atticus Aemilius is bewildered. Jesus withdraws himself and Simon Z. searches for him.

Seeing a Roman, Mary Magdalene is troubled while memorizing the scriptures. Shmuel and Yanni interrogate Jesse concerning Jesus, leading to them updating the petition to the Sanhedrin. Atticus Aemilius questions Jesse and pursues Simon Z. and Jesus. Searching for Jesus, Simon Z. has come across a demon-possessed man named Caleb. John the Baptizer visits the group and tells Jesus his dangerous mission of going to Jerusalem to call out Herod Antipas' sin for marrying Herodias. John the Baptizer is eager for Jesus to get to work, and discuss with his cousin the realness of what they’ve prepared for. When Simon Z. finds the disciples' camp, the demon-possessed Caleb attempts to attack the group after Mary Magdalene confronts him, but Simon Z. tries to suppress him. Jesus returns to the camp and heals Caleb, casting out the demon, Belial, in a sudden. That day, Simon Z. surrenders himself and is officially called by Jesus. John the Baptizer submits to Jesus and then departs from him to carry out the mission. Devastated by the encounter earlier on the exorcism, Mary Magdalene goes to a tavern. Learning Mary Magdalene has gone, Jesus instructs Simon and Matthew to look for her.

Matthew and Simon try to get along as they search for Mary in dark places. The group fears for Mary as they struggle with lack of food and bad news about John the Baptist. Meanwhile, Jesus continues to upset Pharisees across multiple regions.

After learning of Jesus' whereabouts, Quintus sends Gaius to arrest him. The disciples lose control as they argue about how to respond. While seeking information about where Jesus has been taken, Andrew and Philip encounter old friends. Seeing that he poses no threat after being questioned, Quintus releases Jesus with a stern warning. At night, Jesus returns to his disciples who have been very anxious for him. They ask him to teach them how to pray to which he happily obliges.

While Jesus and Matthew prepare for the big Sermon on the Mount, the disciples spread the word while bickering between themselves. A high-ranking Sanhedrin member is shocked by Shmuel's reports of Jesus. Thousands arrive for the sermon, including some familiar faces.