Series / The Chosen (TV series)

"Get used to different."

Leander: Jesus of Nazareth, if you are who you say you are, why do you inspire and transform some people, but threaten and disgust others?
Jesus: Let me tell you a story...

In the regions of ancient Galilee and Judaea, people from all walks of life wrestle with the daily struggles of the first century: family drama, chronic ailments, job insecurity, and all the burdens that come with being subjugated by the Roman empire. But many have their lives changed when they suddenly encounter a humble, compassionate Man bearing both the power to overturn the laws of nature and a very important mission to fulfill.

At the behest of the words "Follow Me", these ordinary people embark with Him on a journey full of redemption, mercy, and a little bit of trouble as their actions turn the status quo upside down.

The Chosen is a 2017 crowd-funded historical drama television series depicting the ministry of Jesus as seen through the eyes of His followers. The show is notable for delving into the lives and personalities of the disciples, even creating backstories that do not have a direct basis in The Bible.

The show boasts of being the first show to cover the events of The Four Gospels across multiple seasons. Three seasons have aired so far, though seven are planned. All available episodes of the series are free to watch on The Chosen app and hosted on other streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock.

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The Chosen contains examples of:

• Acting Unnatural: Worried while waiting in the middle of the town square with a big box full of treasure, Gaius tells Matthew to try to look natural as the latter fidgets around nervously. As Matthew points out, "I am natural. I look exactly how I feel."
• Adaptation Distillation: Rare, considering all the Adaptation Expansion that is taking place in order to fill out a full series from the source material. However, some events that took place twice in the Gospels are rolled into one for the show.
  • In a field on the outskirts of Decapolis, Jesus feeds 5,000 men (not counting women and children) after two days of nonstop teaching by multiplying a young lad's five loaves and two fish. In the first recorded incident this actually happens at the end of the day near the town of Bethsaida, while the second incident involves different quantities of people and food but occurs after Jesus preaches for three whole days around Decapolis, the place where He also heals the deaf and mute man.
  • When Jesus arrives on the boat after walking on the water, He then calms the storm with a command. In scripture, these are two separate incidents. (Jesus was in the boat all along when He stills the tempest.)
• Adaptation Expansion: Loads of it. All of the disciples, including those who aren't really discussed beyond a brief mention in the source material, have at the very minimum a backstory detailing how they met Jesus. The more prominent disciples receive story arcs that can span anywhere between one episode and multiple seasons.
• Adaptational Job Change: As part of the Adaptational Expansion, the disciples without canonical livelihoods receive new ones here, such as Thaddeus being a construction worker, Little James a choral singer, Nathaniel an architect, Thomas a caterer, etc.
• Affably Evil:
  • Quintus, who makes it clear he is much more on the legal and judicial side of Roman power rather than muscle, although he is not afraid to use it. See his interactions with Nicodemus and Matthew.
  • Gaius is strict and dedicated to enforcing the Roman regime, but his concern for Matthew's well being is clear as day so comes off more as a Punch-Clock Villain in his interactions with Matthew and Quintus himself. In Season 3 he and Peter go out of their way to fix the broken cistern in Capernaum, where they both bond over their individual family issues.
• All Issues Are Political Issues: After finding out that Nicodemus more or less quashed their inquiry into Jesus, Yanni tries to convince Shmuel that other prominent Sanhedrin members will back issues like their inquiry if it means potential political gain. Shmuel sees stamping out false prophecy as a moral imperative and has a bit of a seething disgust at the notion of making everything political.
• And Starring: The opening credits list the rest of the cast, followed by "And Jonathan Roumie as Jesus" (and then the production crew credits).
• Ascended Extra: Many background characters from the Bible get expanded upon in this series, including but not limited to:
  • Eden: In the Bible, Simon Peter's wife is never named, but in this series, she is a central part of Seasons 1 and 3.
  • Thaddeus and Little James: These disciples get mentioned by name no more than 5 times each in the Gospels. Here, they get fully fleshed out backstories, personalities, and unique interactions with Jesus.
  • Zebedee and Salome: Big James and John's parents. In the Bible, Zebedee only appears during James and John's calling, being left behind as his sons join Jesus, while Salome is mentioned as one of the women who witnessed the crucifixion. In the series, they have many interactions with their sons and other characters, and the house where Jesus heals a paralythic man is theirs. They also attend the Sermon on the Mount.
  • The paralyzed man healed by the pool of Bethesda is just a random paralyzed man in the Bible, but he is made into the brother of Simon the Zealot in the show, and his healing is instrumental in changing Simon's course and sending him to Jesus.
  • One of the robbers mentioned in Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan is upgraded into a fully fledged character in one episode, who reveals he is repentant of his past actions. Jesus is able to assure him that the man he and his cohorts attacked on the road survived and received help.
  • The Pharisees in general. While in The Bible they are regarded as religious authorities and adversarial toward Jesus, here personalities are developed among a few (Shmuel, Yussif, Yanni). Nicodemus is a bit of a downplaying of the trope, since he has a couple of important scenes within Scripture, but in Season 1, his development is a major arc.
• A Boy and His X: Before joining Jesus, Matthew's only companion besides his assigned guard is a stray dog he befriends when he's unable to share a Sabbath meal with his family due to being ostracized for working with the Romans. It's symbolic of his position in society, as dogs in that time and place were seen as vermin and something to avoid. Much like tax collectors.
• All-Loving Hero:
  • Jesus, naturally. He shows an incredible amount of patience and compassion towards everybody, including those who are shunned by the general Jewish population such as tax collectors, those afflicted with ailments that make them ceremonially unclean, and foreigners who worship pagan deities.
  • Philip acts like this to the other disciples, even being kind to Matthew, who is sidelined by the rest, from the start. In the last episode of season 2, a clip of Philip is shown when Jesus, discussing the Beatitudes, mentions the "peacemakers".
• Assassin Outclassin': Atticus replaces the Roman magistrate on his weekly dinner reservation in order to kill Simon during the Zealots' assassination attempt.
• As the Good Book Says...: Verses, sayings, and stories from the Torah and the prophets (re: the Old Testament) are quoted all the time, and all over the place, both meta and in-text from the characters.
• As You Know: When Thomas and Ramah arrive in Samaria, Matthew responds to their story of a tough journey by talking about the historical hatred between Jews and Samaritans. Thomas replies with a terse "I am aware".
• Brass Balls: Matthew is praised by Quintus for having the audacity to talk back to an esteemed Roman authority such as himself, even as Gaius is all but expecting himself and Matthew to be killed for the latter's potential "disrespect".
• Brutal Honesty: Nathanael's main personality trait is, in his own words, to "tell it like it is", which often comes off as insensitive to those he interacts with. When Philip mentions that the Messiah's name is Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael instantly goes on a detailed rant on how shoddy the town of Nazareth and its people are and that nothing good could possibly come out of it.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: John the Baptizer, a raggedly looking preacher wandering the wilds, who refuses to eat meat because it's too much effort, jump-scares people arriving to meet with him, and enjoys aggravating government officials and leaders of the religious establishment. He is nevertheless devoted to following the will of God and supporting his cousin Jesus, and has a large following among the people as a teacher.
• The Bus Came Back: In "Ears to Hear," we get a flashback showing an encounter between Matthew and an old man at his tax booth. The old man is one of the shepherds who was visited by angels at Christ's birth, and is played by the same actor as in The Shepherd the short film that inspired the series.
• Call-Forward: Many scenes allude to future events that occur in the Gospels.
  • In the first episode, Jesus reveals His identity to Mary Magdalene by saying her name. This happens again when she encounters the resurrected Jesus.
  • Simon getting cut on the ear by an angry Roman echoes the moment when he cuts off a man's ear during Christ's arrest.
  • There are a number of quips in the first two seasons about Simon's inability to run fast. ("I have bad shins.") Dallas Jenkins has acknowledged that this was inspired by the Resurrection story, where Simon/Peter leaves for the tomb first, but John outruns him and gets there ahead of him.
  • Matthew is tasked with following Peter and writing down his observations. When he joins the disciples, he brings the notebook with him.
  • When Matthew asks John to tell him what happened with Jairus' daughter, John tells him Jesus wanted him to keep it secret for now, but will remember to tell Matthew later when it's okay to do so. Sure enough, the story of Jesus bringing Jairus' daughter back to life is recorded in Matthew's Gospel.
  • Certain scenes set up cultural norms that will later be challenged by Jesus. For example, in episode two, a dinner party guest tells his wife to get seats close to the head of the table (where the important people are). In the Gospels, Jesus specifically tells his disciples not to do this.
  • Jesus walking past the crucifixion victims in a somber fashion as he entered Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the victims is even arrayed in the traditional crucifix manner.
  • Jesus being brought before the local Roman authority, Praetor Quintus, in season 2 may foreshadow his eventual arrest and encounter with Pontius Pilate. However Jesus is soon set free and leaves on rather good terms with Quintus.
  • When Jesus miraculously turns the water into wine at Cana during Season 1, the way he places his hand into the jar and lifts some wine is meant to evoke his eventual crucifixion wounds and potentially tie it to the Last Supper (a bit of Genius Bonus, perhaps?).
  • Jesus, along with Lazarus and his mother, visit Joseph’s tomb. When Jesus and Lazarus died they were buried in a similar looking tomb. ^* But then they came Back from the Dead
• Campfire Character Exploration: The disciples gather around the campfire to discuss their personal issues multiple times, but especially in the episode "Matthew 4:24" which includes extended character exploration of Little James, Mother Mary, Simon, Matthew, and others.
• Character Catchphrase: "That's a discussion for another time..." and "Soon" are Jesus' most common replies to questions He doesn't want to answer at the moment. In later seasons these phrases are occasionally used by others as well.
• Child Prodigy: Matthew knows less of the Hebrew scriptures than the other male disciples because he was skipped ahead in school and apprenticed out to a bookkeeper when he was 8. By 13 he had been employed by the Romans as a tax collector and was subsequently kicked out of the house by his father due to his new position.
• The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Discussed regarding Little James, who suffers from some form of partial paralysis, and hasn't been healed despite watching Jesus heal countless others. James admits that he believes Jesus would heal him if he asked, but says he doesn't feel it's the right time to do so. It's a case of Real Life Writes the Plot as Little James' actor Jordan Walker Ross suffered from scoliosis as a child and has had multiple surgeries including spinal fusion.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: People walk past active crucifixions of multiple people by Roman authorities at the gates of Jerusalem and watch public beatings, with little more than an uncomfortable glance.
• Continuity Nod:
  • In the first episode of season two, Andrew mentions his fear of ghosts. In season three, when the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, Andrew is the one that freaks out, thinking it is a spirit.
  • One of Nathanael's critiques of Nazareth in season two is that its residents sleep under the same roof as their livestock. In season three, Jesus returns home to Nazareth, where the bed in His room is on a loft above two sheep named Cain and Abel.
• Cool Old Lady:
  • Mother Mary doesn't mind the company of the quarrelsome disciples and occasionally joins them on their ministries despite her advanced age.
  • Simon's mother-in-law, Dasha, immediately after being healed from her near death illness, bustles around Simon and Eden's kitchen making snacks for the guests.
• Crisis of Faith:
  • Mary Magdalene struggles to beat her demonic possession by reading the words her father taught her, which does nothing to help her. She contemplates suicide only to have her attention caught by a bird flying overhead, which leads her to being healed by Jesus.
  • An angry Simon yells at God while he's alone in his boat during his attempt to stave off ruin by fishing all night. His utterances about the history of Israel while alone on the boat drive home his inner turmoil.
  • Nathanial spends his introductory episode in the midst of mourning and pleading to God after an accident at his worksite gets him blacklisted from the architectural job he'd been working towards his whole life.
• Culture Clash: One happens in Season 3 between Tamar and Mary Magdalene. Tamar explains that her jewelry is meant to honor her family and ancestors. Mary Magdalene mistakenly assumes it's a form of ancestor-worship, which wouldn't be befitting for a worshipper of God. The end result is tension.
• Darker and Edgier: Unlike other Biblical adaptations, the Chosen doesn't attempt to sanitize the bleak and depressing aspects of the time. A lot of the added context to the miraculous events of the Scriptures ends up making Jesus's actions that much more meaningful for the people involved.
  • Mary Magdalene's possession was the result of a chain reaction of events that started with her being assaulted by a Roman soldier. She nearly commits suicide before being exorcised.
  • Due to being a tax collector and hated by just about everyone, Matthew starts off as an antagonist butting heads with Simon and Andrew. This adds a lot of tension when he eventually joins the disciples.
  • The miracle of the fish changes from a simple demonstration of Jesus's power to a last-minute save that keeps Simon from being imprisoned by his unpayable debt.
  • Running out of wine at the Wedding at Cana threatens the providers' reputation with the families involved. Jesus's actions end up saving them from utter humiliation.
  • The leper and the woman with the issue of blood have to deal with being ostracized by everyone they come in contact with due to being ritually unclean. Both of them are so desperate to be healed that they throw themselves at Jesus's mercy.
• Deadpan Snarker: Almost every character gets a snarky moment or two.
  • Andrew usually has a retort for Peter's reckless antics.
    Simon: I have a plan. I met a guy-
    Andrew: Oh, wow, get the papyrus^note Back then papyrus (a writing surface) was expensive and rare, aka only used for special and important occasions., Simon met a guy!
  • John the Baptist gets in a few noteworthy moments of this when Nicodemus comes to inquire about his experiences in Capernaum.
• Deliberately Monochrome: The pre-credit scenes of "Clean, Part I" (Season 3, Ep. 4) shows the disciples on their missionary work through Israel in black and white.
• Disease by Any Other Name: Matthew is very good with numbers and was described as being a very intelligent child, but has trouble with social cues to the point of being ostracized. This leads to him becoming a tax collector. Dallas Jenkins, the creator/director, has confirmed that this version of Matthew has Asperger's, but this is never explicitly said in-universe because of the time period.
• Dramatic Irony: Simon (Peter) and Judas both state that they would go to the ends of the earth with Jesus (and in Judas’ case his followers). Those who read the Gospels (or just knows the broad strokes by cultural osmosis) will know that later on, Simon (Peter) will end up denying the fact that he knows Jesus three times while Judas ends up betraying Jesus.
• Dream Intro: "Intensity in Tent City" opens with Claudia (the wife of Pontius Pilate) having a dream, in which a serpent slithers toward Jesus. Shortly after waking, she is startled to notice her husband putting on a snake-themed ornament.
• Dropping the Bombshell: Jesus sometimes does this to those He chooses as a way of letting them know that He is the Messiah:
  • Mary Magdalene is stopped dead in her tracks when Jesus, a complete stranger to her at this time, calls her by her real name. He then quotes Isaiah 43:1, which was part of a cherished memory of her father and was something of a Madness Mantra for her to try to stave off her demonic possession. He is not only revealing that He knows her, but that He gave those words to Isaiah.
  • The Miracle of the Fishes saves Simon from the consequences of his delinquent taxes. He throws himself at Jesus' feet (who he has just met), confesses that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, and says he'll do anything Jesus asks. Jesus' response? Follow me.
  • With a few words, Jesus reveals that he knows all about Nathaniel and his Crisis of Faith, despite having never met him in person before then.
  • Telling the Samaritan Woman at the well "everything [she] ever did" stops her cold in her tracks and prompts her to face her inner turmoil and share what she now knows about Jesus to the entire town.
• Dude, Not Funny!:
  • When Barnaby responds to Jesus' introduction by saying "maybe something good CAN come out of Nazareth!" and laughing at his own joke, everyone at the dinner table quietly shoots him an uncomfortable glance. Except for Jesus, who smiles and winks at him.
  • Played with when Jesus and His disciples spend the evening with Melech, a remorseful Samaritan who injured himself while robbing a Jew on the road. When Jesus indicates it's time to return to town before bad men and robbers lurk the roads, Melech and his wife stare at Him in disbelief, but a "too soon?" from Jesus lightens up the mood and causes the two of them to smile.
• Elites Are More Glamorous:
  • Atticus is essentially a Roman special operator, recognized as such by both other soldiers and Roman civilians.
  • The Pharisees have a bit of this as well, with their dress and the deference given to them.
• Everyone Can See It: Even people who have just joined the group can tell Thomas is in love with Ramah, despite his own bewilderment on the topic whenever it's brought up.
  • Further confirmed early in Season 3 with the women's conversation with Ramah about Thomas plus the parallel conversation at Zebedee's house with Thomas.
  • Even Mother Mary gets in on this by snarking that they should have just had Thomas and Ramah's ceremony at Cana right after the planned ceremony and feast.
• Face–Heel Turn: Rafi, who had been on the receiving end of Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine at Cana, turns against Jesus at Nazareth after hearing Jesus proclaim his messiahship during Episode 3 of Season 3.
• Flashback: Used occasionally, particularly at the beginning of episodes, to flesh out a story beat or specific character. These have ranged from flashbacks to ancient events like the creation of Jacob's well to a montage of the life of the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethsheda.
• Flash Forward: The first episode of Season Two begins with John writing his Gospel while interviewing the disciples after Big James's execution in Acts of the Apostles.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Simon (Peter) and Andrew are portrayed as this. Andrew tends to stick to the rules and avoids taking risks with their family possessions. Meanwhile, Simon is more impulsive and more willing to bend the rules to do what he needs to do. Inverted toward the end of Season 2 when Andrew begins freaking out over a) John's arrest and b) Jesus being detained (along with totally flipping out at Mary Magdalene) and it's Simon who is the one calmly reminded him about the divine plan and "getting used to different".
• Foregone Conclusion: Being based on some of the most heavily studied and discussed events in history, much of the story is this. Beyond Jesus's death and resurrection, Judas is going to betray them and pretty much all the canonical disciples will be martyred other than John, who will die of old age in exile. Acknowledged by John in the Season 2 Flash Forward, as he sadly reflects on his brother's martyrdom with the understanding that he is only the first. It's partly the motivation for writing his gospel.
• Foreseeing My Death: Jesus spends the entire series aware of the date he's walking towards, and indirectly acknowledge or references it in conversation from time to time from the very beginning of the series onwards.
• Foreigners Write Backwards: All of the Hebrew text is depicted (correctly) as written and read from right to left.
• Friend to All Children:
  • An early episode of season 1 features Jesus spending time with a group of children before beginning his public ministry.
  • At the Wedding Feast in Cana, Jesus is shown playing games with the kids during the party.
• Funny Spoon: When the demoniac interrupts them while they're cooking, Thomas grabs the knife. Matthew grabs... the wooden soup spoon.
• The Ghost: Nicodemus is a prominent character in Season 1, but in Seasons 2 and 3 he is nowhere to be seen. However, several Pharisees mention or allude to him throughout both seasons, such as when Yanni and Shmuel learn that their formal inquiry into Jesus was dismissed by a high ranking member of the Sanhedrin and deduce exactly who did it.
• God Before Dogma:
  • After witnessing Jesus heal the paralytic man, Nicodemus realizes that the established interpretation of scripture regarding the coming Messiah may have been wrong and God might be carrying out His will through this new street-preacher. His stance puts him somewhat at odds with the rest of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.
  • Jesus challenges the Pharisees' overly strict, man-made rules regarding what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath by choosing that day to perform healing miracles and allow His hungry disciples to glean food from the fields, demonstating that it is perfectly acceptable to do good and care for a soul on the Sabbath.
• Good Smells Good: Somewhat inverted, according to the demon possessing Caleb, those who have come into contact with Jesus (or even just someone who themselves interacted with Jesus) smell 'putrid' from holiness. Presumably a non-demonic entity that could smell holiness wouldn't find it so revolting.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Being a biblical series, Satan is obviously this, and his presence is definitely shown with the demon-possessed characters presented in the series. However, there are a few of Jesus’s biggest human enemies that haven’t made an appearance (at least not yet).
  • Joseph Caiaphas, the high priest who will eventually conspire to kill Jesus.
  • Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee who will eventually sentence John the baptiser to be beheaded and play a role in the trial of Jesus.
• Handy Man: Jesus's day job, so to speak, which he continues doing throughout his travels, such as leaving the crowds in Samaria in order to help fix a man's wagon axle.
• Happily Married: Simon and Eden, despite the former's penchant (prior to his calling) for gambling and beating the snot out of her brothers.
• Heavenly Blue:
  • The opening animation shows a large school of fish swimming in one direction. One by one, thirteen of those fish turn blue, turn around, and swim in the opposite direction.
  • Jesus wears a blue sash while giving the Sermon on the Mount.
• Heroic BSoD: Mary Magdalene was assaulted by a Roman soldier in uniform, and later seeing one in the street gives her a panic attack.
• Hollywood Exorcism: Downplayed in regards to Jesus and His disciples, where they can near instantly banish a demon from its host with just words. Anything further is still minimal and realistically expected, like having one disciple hold the host in place while another speaks and/or uses anointing oil. Either way, exorcisms are treated like a collective Curb-Stomp Battle.
• Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The assassination attempt on the Roman magistrate is scheduled to occur during the Feast of Booths.
• Hot-Blooded: James and John are given the nickname "the Sons of Thunder" after trying to get Jesus to smite some Samaritans they got in a fight with.
• Hunting the Rogue: The Zealots do not take kindly to Zee suddenly abandoning a mission and going AWOL. It's not long before they track him down.
• I Am the Noun: Jesus, telling Rabbi Benjamin in Nazareth, "I am the Law of Moses."
• I Have No Son!: Invoked literally by Matthew when discussing with Gaius his status within his family as a tax collector. Apparently, this occurred around the time Matthew was 13. Inverted as Matthew and his father reconcile due to his following of Jesus and giving up his former lifestyle.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Mary Magdalene attempts this on the demonically possessed Caleb, trying to get the man to speak to them over the demon. This does not work until Jesus arrives and immediately exorcises him.
• Incurable Cough of Death:
  • The very first scene of the series is a flashback to Mary Magdalene's childhood, where her father is shown to have a nasty cough. About halfway through the episode, another flashback confirms to the audience that he died not long afterward.
  • Subverted late in Season 1 when Jesus heals Eden's mother, Dasha, prior to the ministry traveling to Samaria. Before that moment her cough could be heard in the background of several episodes as her condition deteriorated.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Simon and his wife, at the start of season 3, when two of the other disciples decide to crash at his place.
• I Should Write a Book About This: The prologue of the Season 2 opener shows a meeting of Jesus's disciples taking place many years after his death in which they begin to compile stories and events for the Gospels.
• In-Series Nickname:
  • Jesus differentiates the two Jameses as "Big James," the brother of John and son of Zebedee, and "Little James," who begins the series as a follower of Jesus.
  • Simon the Zealot is referred to as "Zee" to differentiate him from Simon Peter.
  • Simon almost always refers to John the Baptizer as "Creepy John." This is in part to differentiate him from John the apostle, but also to show Simon's Deadpan Snarker personality. The Flash Forward in the first episode of season two shows that he's still using the nickname long after John's death.
• Interrupted Suicide: Mary Magdalene is on the verge of jumping from a cliff before she's startled by a bird and follows it back to town, where she meets Jesus and is healed of her possession.
• Jesus Was Way Cool: He will save you from your demons and dance at a wedding. He is also a Friend to All Children and cracks a joke from time to time.
• Just a Stupid Accent: The characters speak (modern, colloquial American) English. Roman characters generally speak with American accents, while other characters generally speak with various Middle Eastern accents.
• Les Collaborateurs:
  • Tax-collectors are viewed in Roman-occupied Israel as traitors to their people because they accept a high salary from their oppressors in exchange for accepting a job that involves taking money from the Jews and giving it to the Roman government.
  • Simon, in the first few episodes, finds himself making a bargain with Quintus to sell out a group of Hebrew merchants working on Shabbat to avoid taxation, because they overfished the area he was casting in. In exchange, Quintus forgives his and Andrew's debts. No one who finds out about this is happy.
• Moment Killer: Simon and Eden are about to enjoy some marital intimacy for the first time in a while after the Sermon on the Mount, only for Nathaniel and his Brutal Honesty to show up and wreck it.
• Momma's Boy: Jesus, to an extent. His relationship with Mary has a loving tenderness to it.
• My Secret Pregnancy: A particularly tragic example: Eden gets pregnant just before Simon leaves to go preaching, but loses the baby while he's gone. She can't bring herself to tell Simon for some time. When Simon eventually finds out, it's a while before he finally tells John on the way to the Decapolis, because he can't understand why Jesus would heal complete strangers but not prevent this.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: A downplayed example. Due to her past experience being possessed, the presence of the demon Belial appears to trigger a migraine for Mary Magdalene, heralding the arrival of the demonically possessed Caleb before the other disciples present hears his howling.
• Mystical Pregnancy: Discussed, with both Jesus and John the Baptizer having been born this way. (Their real life counterparts being two trope makers, with they and their mothers serving as the current page image.)
• Mythology Gag:
  • Simon’s (Peter) animosity towards Matthew the tax collector, is lifted from Jesus of Nazareth. Both series have a scene where Simon tries to attack Matthew but Andrew (and John the apostle in Jesus of Nazareth) hold him back. Phillip being a former follower of John the Baptist was also lifted from this series.
  • Jesus asking his mother which one of his fathers she is referring to is lifted from Jesus (1999).
• Never Accepted in His Hometown: Episode 3 of Season 3 revolves nearly entirely around this trope. Jesus and his ministry are very well received in every town where he heals and preaches, but when he visits his hometown of Nazareth and asserts himself as the foretold Messiah, the congregation takes offense to his words and attempts to execute him for blasphemy.
• Never Learned to Read: Ramah, being a young woman who can't read, is eager to learn so she could study Torah. Mary Magdalene, whose father had taught her as a child, becomes her tutor in Season 2.
• Not What It Looks Like: While compiling his gospel, John asks Mary Magdalene to describe her first meeting with Jesus, and she says he held her hand, then tells John to leave that part out, because "it isn't what it sounds like" and "people will get confused", a bit of a Take That! at those who believe Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married or sexually involved.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Unlike his mother-in-law, who he's fond of, Simon sees his brothers-in-law as pests, and vice versa, getting in repeated fights both verbal and physical with each other.
• O.C. Stand-in: Many of the characters are at least mentioned in the Bible but don't receive much elaboration beyond that in the source material or historical record; logically, much of their personalities and character arcs are this. Other characters, such as Ramah or Shmuel, are more whole cloth original characters, only stand-ins in the sense that they are part of groups that had more members than just those who are individually mentioned in the Bible.
• The Oner: The opening scene of the episode "Matthew 4:24" is an impressive 15-minute tracking shot.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Philip visits Nathanael early in Season 2, his attempt to get Nathanael to meet Jesus is serious and urgent in contrast to his usual laid back self. Even Nathanael says, "I've never heard you speak this way before".
• One-Steve Limit: Folks familiar with the Gospels will have seen this coming. Shown or mentioned in the show alone are: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary Salome; the Apostle John and John the Baptizer; Simon (Peter) and Simon the Zealot; two Joshuas (and Jesus' own name is derived from Joshua), and a gaggle of background characters named Sara. Actively discussed with the two Apostles James and Simon.
  • At one point the Pharisees comment on how similar everyone's names are.
    Yanni: Our people really need a better variety of names.
  • Referenced when Simon the Zealot is called. Jesus and the disciples end up calling him Zee to distinguish him from Simon Peter.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Philip has to apologize for not knowing who Thomas is; he relates that after all the months of traveling with John the Baptist, no one knew anyone else's name, just nicknames and aliases.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Simon is looking forward to a little alone time with Eden, only for Nathaniel to show up to crash at his place. Nathaniel reassures them that he understands and rather tactlessly says he'll cover his head with a pillow. He quickly backpedals in response to Simon's Death Glare.
• Oral Fixation: Nearly every scene in which Atticus appears has him eating something.
• Pals with Jesus: The premise of the show is that Jesus and the disciples are capable of being casual around each other despite their Teacher-student relationship. They all crack jokes, have casual conversations on the road, dance with each other at weddings, and have fun at the ocean when some pharisees accuse them of being unclean.
• Pass the Popcorn: Two children bring a bowl of snacks to hear Jesus speak at Zebedee's house. Matthew at first refuses their offer to share, but reaches over and grabs some when Jesus heals the paralyzed man from the roof.
• Quote-to-Quote Combat: When one character quotes a piece of scripture to back up a point, another will sometimes counter by quoting a different verse.
  • Jesse begs his brother Simon to not go through with an assassination by scolding him for breaking the commandment to not take another's life. Simon responds with a quote from Ecclesiastes: "There is a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up".
  • Jesus' parable of the banquet criticizes those who are initially invited to it but refuse to attend for various reasons. When the leader of the Jewish faction in Decapolis challenges the parable's message by quoting Jeremiah's "Look to the ancient roads where the good way is, and walk in it", Jesus asks him to consider Isaiah's "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past".
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Nicodemus is largely this, especially in relation to his fellow Pharisees, and in Season Two we see considerable divisions among the religious authorities between those who preach adhering to the letter of the law and others who emphasize the welfare of the people above blind obedience. And Quintus regards himself as this; the Jews of Galilee would largely disagree...
• Related in the Adaptation: In the Gospel of John, Simon the Zealot and the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda have zero relation to one another. In the show, Simon and the man (given the name Jesse here) are brothers.
• Religion Is Right: Jesus and God receive this treatment. This is no surprise, given the show's writing team is Christian. The goal of Jesus' ministry is to fulfill the ancient prophecies of the coming Messiah, corroborated through countless divine miracles.
  Jesus: Go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The mute speak. And the poor have the good news preached to them. Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
• Religion Is Wrong: The Pool of Bethsheda gets this treatment. On the way to it, Jesus and three apostles talk about it and agree that it's just a natural spring with no supernatural qualities. In a separate conversation, Simon the Zealot insists to his brother Jessie that the pool is pagan nonsense, and that God would never be so cruel as to pit disabled people against each other.
• Rousing Speech: The Sermon on the Mount is one big, passionate manifesto of Jesus' most important teachings. Several characters later cite it as a cause for their Heel–Face Turn, the first of which are Matthew and his parents when they finally find the heart to forgive each other for the pain that split their family apart for several years.
• Running Gag: Pretty much anytime Jesus's hometown of Nazareth is mentioned, someone will make a bewildered or insulting comment about it, and generally about someone like Jesus coming from there.
• Ship Tease: It's subtly hinted that Matthew has a crush on Mary Magdalene. It is yet to be seen if his feelings will be unrequited or if Adaptation Expansion will allow for something to develop.
• Shout-Out: Episode 3 Season 1, in particular the scene where the children wonder if Jesus is actually a criminal hiding out in the woods, is a reference to the plot of Whistle Down the Wind.
• Sibling Team: Simon and his brother Andrew, as well as James and his brother John, often work together and get in trouble together. James and John even receive a nickname, "The Sons of Thunder", underlining this.
• Sleepy Head: Phillip can fall asleep anywhere, at the drop of a hat, which he attributes to having been on the run with John the Baptist and needing to be able to grab sleep when one can.
• The Smurfette Principle:
  • Mary Magdalene is the only female disciple in the travelling group at the end of season one. Downplayed, as Ramah joins the group early in the second season, although it is commented upon by Ramah's father, who's concerned about her and Thomas running off with a bunch of unknown men.
    Ramah: And a woman!
  • In late season 2 the group is joined by an Ethiopian woman called Tamar, further downplaying the trope.
• Strange Minds Think Alike: Thomas and Matthew both have a habit of number crunching at the drop of a hat, even for rhetorical questions like "What are the odds we run into the angry Pharisee from Capernaum all the way over in Jerusalem?"
• There Was a Door: Justified when the paralyzed man's friends tear a hole in Zebedee's ceiling, as the entrances to the building are crowded with people blocking the way to the person they know can heal their friend. Not that Zebedee was particularly thrilled about the hole in his roof.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Gaius sometimes quietly stares off into the distance during his interactions with fellow Romans such as Atticus, Quintus, and his subordinate Julius, especially after he witnesses the Sermon on the Mount.
• Too Much Alike: Thomas's dislike of Matthew is attributed in-universe to be at least in part due to this trope. They are noted to be quite similar, considered by the others to be the smartest of the disciples, as well as sharing a habit of running the odds for any given situation.
• Traumatic C-Section: Simon the Zealot was cut from his mother after she died in childbirth, the midwife holding a knife up to his mother's stomach before the scene cuts away to the baby being held by his brother.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The Samaritan Melech is guilt-ridden over mugging a Jewish traveler and leaving the man for dead on the side of the road. Jesus says the traveler did survive because someone stopped to help him, implying that in the show the parable of the Good Samaritan was inspired by an actual event, although to what degree the event and parable are meant to line up isn't elaborated on.
• Voice of the Legion: When Mary Magdalene is possessed by demons, she speaks with several voices at the same time.
• We ARE Struggling Together: When the apostles have a tendency to bicker and butt heads when Jesus isn't in their immediate vicinity. They're getting better at it, gradually.
• Wham Line: Given the content, there will be several.
  • After the Miracle of the Fishes, which saves Simon from the consequences of his delinquent taxes:
    Simon: Anything you ask, I will do.
    Jesus: Follow me.
  • At the end of the season two finale, Simon meets someone who is very interested to learn more about Jesus. After Simon introduces himself, the stranger does the same: "Judas."
• Wham Episode: Episode 3 of season 4 Ends with Ramah dying
• Women Are Wiser:
  • Mary, Ramah, Tamar, and Mother Mary all seem to get along. The Disciples on the other hand... "At one one point Mother Mary calls them boys because they're acting like children."
  • Mary Magdalene, in the "Matthew 4:24" episode, has the line about how none of them can be holy without Jesus, effectively shutting down that conversation, even prompting Philip to remark about how John the Baptist will want to steal that line.
• Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: The Zealots. To the Romans they are a secret order of terrorists out to assassinate as many high ranking officials as possible, while to the Jews they are an extremist group trying to free Israel from the oppressive Roman rule.

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