Kevin Keating
Jan 98 min
Updated: Feb 8
A new promo for The Chosen Season 4 was released on Monday January 9 during the College Football National Championship. The Season 4 Promo once again spotlights the death/resurrection of Lazarus, the situation in Herod's court, and other moments we've already seen in either the Teaser or the Official Trailer, but it also contains some moments we haven't come across before and an ear-catching rendition of "Deliver Us!" (a song originally featured in Prince of Egypt). I'll be focusing today's analysis on these new elements.
The Season 4 Promo contains only a few biblical scenes that haven't already been featured in earlier trailers:
Not Peace But a Sword: The Promo begins with Jesus questioning whether his disciples have a correct understanding of why he has come. The content of his speech is adapting a famous saying of Jesus: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:34-39, ESV). This moment is yet another instance of the disconnect between Jesus and his disciples, which appears to be a key theme in Season 4.
Jesus Debating Pharisees/Elders at the Temple: We catch a brief glimpse (0:37) of Jesus and two religious leaders debating in front of a crowd at the entrance of what appears to be the Temple. This event could represent either one of Jesus' early festival visits to the Temple in the Gospel of John (e.g. John 7-9) or one of the debates between Jesus and the religious leaders that takes place after his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday (e.g. Matthew 21:14-17).
Jesus Healing a Blind Man: We also see Jesus heal another blind man (0:59). The Gospels record several instances of Jesus healing the blind, but my bet is that this is either the healing of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) or the healing of a man born blind (John 9). The Bartimaeus story could fit given the timeline (it immediately precedes the Triumphal Entry) but the story from the Gospel of John seems even more likely. As I've noted, the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees that we also see in the trailer could be adapting the John 9 narrative. Also, the presence of Little James is worth noting. The catalyst for the John 9 story is a debate between the disciples over why the man is blind (his sin or his parents' sin). Jesus explains that neither explanation is correct - the man is blind in order to reveal the glory of God - a point that resonates with Little James' story. Finally, the John 9 story uses the man's blindness as a metaphor for the difficulty that people have understanding Jesus - a key theme in Season 4.
The High Priest: So far, opposition to Jesus in The Chosen has mostly come from the Pharisees. However, we know that eventually the High Priest will play a major role in the actual arrest, questioning, and condemnation of Jesus. The promo gives us our first glimpse of Caiphas (0:16).
In addition to the biblical scenes featured in the trailer, I just want to flag a few other significant insights that the Promo offers:
Faux Triumphal Entry: In my analysis of the Official Trailer, I noticed what appeared to be Jesus' Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday. The same scene appears in the Promo (0:28), but this time I noticed that the person the crowds seem to be cheering for isn't Jesus - it's a warrior riding on a horse. My new theory is that this isn't actually Jesus' triumphal entry. It's either an Old Testament flashback to a Davidic King arriving in Jerusalem or the arrival of another figure during one of Jesus' earlier visits to Jerusalem. The point of the scene is to provide a point of comparison/contrast for how Jesus will enter Jerusalem, not as a warrior on a war horse but as a humble man on a donkey.
Shmuel Wavering: When Jesus encounters Shmuel at the end of Season 3, the outcome of their conversation is left open-ended. In the Season 4 Promo (0:39), we hear Shmuel telling Yanni about the encounter in a way that suggests that he may be having a change of heart. This would be a massive development in Shmuel's story and a very interesting twist. Imagine if you were the one responsible for initiating opposition to Jesus but then repented of your opposition - and yet you couldn't stop the opposition that you set in motion. Of course, based on how the scene is cut, it's also possible that Shmuel hasn't had a change of heart and the trailer is simply engaging in misdirection.
Deliver Us: As I noted, the trailer contains an excellent rendition of "Deliver Us!" from the Prince of Peace soundtrack. I don't want to make too much of this, because trailer music doesn't always reflect the music of the actual show/film, but I did find the choice interesting. Many viewers will immediately recognize the allusion to Prince of Peace, another Bible adaptation which is based on the Exodus from Egypt. The Gospels draw numerous parallels between Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection and the Exodus and so it'll be interesting to see if Season 4 begins drawing more attention to these connections.
What do you think of the Promo? Notice anything that I missed? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. I have Bible studies/discussion guides for each episode of The Chosen Seasons 1-3, blogs exploring how The Chosen adapts key biblical figures, and articles exploring the controversial nature of adaptation. I hope you enjoy them!
The Chosen Leads the Way: The Top 5 Bible Adaptation Stories of 2023
The Chosen Season 4 Controversy? (The Transfiguration of Jesus & the Second Commandment)
Reflecting on The Chosen Season 3 & Anticipating Season 4: What Worked & What to Fix
The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction and Analysis
The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 7 & 8: Recap, Review, & Analysis
The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2: Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere
Lazarus, Martha, & Mary of Bethany in The Chosen ***Season 3***
Thomas & Ramah in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***
Yussif, Jairus, & Shmuel in The Chosen ***Season 3***
Quintus, Gaius, Atticus, and the Romans in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***
Little James in The Chosen & Scripture ***Season 3***
Pontius Pilate & his Wife in The Chosen ***Season 3***
Judas in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***
Matthew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***
Simon and Andrew in The Chosen ***Season 3 Update***
David Amito on John the Baptist, Death, & The Chosen Season 4
Elijah Alexander on Atticus, The Chosen, & the Enduring Value of Biblical Stories
John Hendrix on the Miracle Man, Biblical Adaptation, & Subcreation
Chris Cragin-Day on The Unusual Tale of Mary and Joseph's Baby
Season 3
Episode 1 Guide: Homecoming
Episode 2 Guide: Two by Two
Episode 3 Guide: Physician, Heal Thyself
Episode 4 Guide: Clean Part 1
Episode 5 Guide: Clean Part 2
Episode 6 Guide: Intensity in Tent City
Episode 7 Guide: Ears to Hear
Episode 8 Guide: The Feeding of the 5,000
Season 2
Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about?
Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? (Plots & Theme)
Episode 1 Guide: The Beloved Disciple
Episode 2 Guide: Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew
Episode 3 Guide: Life Among the Disciples of Jesus
Episode 4 Guide: Simon the Zealot & the Man at the Bethesda Pool
Episode 5 Guide: Mary's Demons & the Destiny of John the Baptist
Episode 6 Guide: Mercy and Not Sacrifice
Episode 7 Guide: Quintus Returns
Episode 8 Guide: Judas, Matthew, & the Sermon on the Mount
Season 1
Episode 1 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Lilith, and the Redeemer
Episode 2 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Shabbat
Episode 3 Guide: Depicting Jesus in Art, Film, and TV
Episode 4 Guide: When Jesus Met Simon (Peter)
Episode 5 Guide: Mary, Mother of Jesus
Episode 6 Guide: Jesus, Shmuel, & the Pharisees
Episode 7 Guide: Did Nicodemus Follow Jesus?
Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara
Specials
The Chosen Season 4 Controversy? (The Transfiguration of Jesus & the Second Commandment)
The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration)
Should Nicodemus Kneel? Narrative Ambiguity & Charitable Reading
Five Reasons to Study & Discuss The Chosen in your Faith Community or Church
How to Reach Out to Non-Christians and the Unchurched with The Chosen
When You Finish The Chosen: 5 More Bible Shows to Watch and Discuss with Your Small Group
Season 4
Season 1
Episode 1: What do we do when we are scared?
Episode 2: What is Shabbat for?
Episode 3: Who is Jesus?
Episode 4: What kind of man are you?
Episode 6: Are we keeping our eyes open to the startling and unexpected?
Episode 7 P1: What does your heart tell you?
Episode 7 P2: What's wrong with reason?
Episode 8 P1: What is this God of yours called?
Episode 8 P2: The God Who Sees
Season 1: Encountering Jesus
Specials
The Chosen: 9 Good Friday & Easter Episodes ***Season 3 Update***
Samuel, Cain, & the Queen Mother (Tragic Old Testament Stories that Need a Film/TV Adaptation)
Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power & The Challenges of Biblical Adaptation
In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 1)
In Defense of The Chosen and Other Christian Movies, Books, & Media (Part 2)
Recap & Review: His Only Son