Crafting a Community Dayenu Inspired by The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper
- Kevin Keating
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
For many fans, two of the highlights of The Chosen Season 5 Last Supper came during Episode 4. At the start of the episode, while celebrating the Passover/Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples recite the Dayenu, a traditional Jewish prayer that recalls all the gracious acts of God that “would have been enough” on their own. At the end of Episode 4, Jesus’ female disciples repurpose the framework of the traditional Dayenu in order to thank Jesus for specific ways he worked in their lives that also “would have been enough.”
Because I know the Dayenu was so meaningful for fans, below I’ve outlined a way that you and your family or community can craft your own personalized Jesus-Dayenu, following the model of the female disciples. You may want to incorporate this practice into your celebration of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter, or you could consider making it a regular rhythm in your small group, Bible study, or youth ministry.
The Two Dayenus of The Chosen Season 5 Episode 4
Before you begin crafting your communityl Dayenu, I would suggest reviewing both the traditional Dayenu and the Jesus Dayenu from Episode 4 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper. I’ve done my best to reconstruct them below. You can also download a printable pdf here:
The Traditional Dayenu
(as recited in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 4)
If He had brought us out of Egypt and not made judgments against our adversaries,
(it would have been enough).
If He had made judgments against our adversaries and had not destroyed their idols,
(it would have been enough).
If He had destroyed their idols and had not given us their wealth,
(it would have been enough).
If He had given us their wealth and had not split the Sea for us,
(it would have been enough).
If He had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land,
(it would have been enough).
If He had taken us through it on dry land and not drowned our enemies,
(it would have been enough).
If He had drowned our enemies and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years,
(it would have been enough).
If He had supplied our needs in the desert and had not given us the Torah,
(it would have been enough).
If He had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel,
(it would have been enough).
If He had brought us into the land of Israel and had not built us the Temple,
(it would have been enough).
The Jesus Dayenu
(from The Chosen Season 5 Episode 4)
Mother Mary: If I had only been given the joy of holding you in my arms and you had not performed signs and wonders,
(it would have been enough).
Mary Magdalene: If you had only performed signs and wonders and not called me by name,
(it would have been enough).
Eden: If you had only healed Mary of demons and not called my husband,
(it would have been enough).
Tamar: If you had only called Simon Peter and not healed my friend,
(it would have been enough).
Martha: If you had only healed Ethan and not raised my brother,
(it would have been enough).
Mary of Bethany: If you had only raised my brother and not defended my honor when I worshipped you,
(it would have been enough).
Joanna: If you had only defended Mary but not given meaning to my life that had been so unfulfilled by letting me support you and this miraculous family that I believe will change the world,
(it would have been enough).
Crafting Your Community Dayenu
The actual process of crafting a community Dayenu prayer is fairly simple, but to make it even easier, I’ve put together a short worksheet:
Here’s the basic process:
Explain that your community will be creating its own personalized Jesus-Dayenu like the one offered by the female disciples in Episode 4 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper. Just like in that scene, each person will add a line that follows this formula: “If you had only… [repeating what the previous person said] and not [something that Jesus did for you specifically], (all:) it would have been enough.
Give participants some time to reflect and write their own line, using the prompts in the Dayenu worksheet.
After everyone is ready, begin the introductory phase of your Community Dayenu:
Part 1: Jesus, if you had left heaven and become human and not performed signs and wonders,
(it would have been enough).
Part 2: If you had performed signs and wonders and not taught us the way of life,
(it would have been enough).
Part 3: If you had taught us the way of life and had not suffered and died for our sins,
(it would have been enough).
Part 4: If you had suffered and died for our sins, and had not risen again in the flesh,
(it would have been enough).
Part 5: If you had risen again and had not sat at your Father’s right hand,
(it would have been enough).
Part 6: If you had sat at your Father’s right hand, and had not sent your Spirit,
(it would have been enough).
Part 7: If you had sent your Spirit and had not brought salvation to all the ends of the earth,
(it would have been enough).
After Part 7, the next person will share his/her prayer, and so on:
If you had brought salvation to all the ends of the earth and had not… [next person’s prayer],
(it would have been enough).
If you had [previous person’s prayer] and had not [next person’s prayer],
(it would have been enough).
After the last person has shared, the next person can do the Final Part:
Final Part A: If you had [previous person’s prayer] and had not promised to resurrect our bodies and give us everlasting life with you,
(it would have been enough).
Final Part B: But you have done all these things and more – more than all the books in all the world could ever contain, because you are and always will be…
(enough)
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