Kevin Keating
- Dec 11, 2022
- 11 min read

The Chosen Season 3: What to Expect & How to Watch

Updated: Jan 28

Last week, Dallas Jenkins announced the release schedule for most of the remaining episodes of The Chosen Season 3 and gave more details about how to watch the new season. If you didn't catch the livestream, here's what you need to know:

The Chosen Season 3 Online Release Schedule

Starting tonight (December 12), an episode of The Chosen Season 3 will be released every Sunday night for the next few weeks. In addition to providing us with a release schedule, Dallas also announced the titles of Episodes 3-6:

Big James, John, Nathanael, and Zebedee in The Chosen Season 3

Season 3 Episode 1: “Homecoming”

Early access: Dec. 10, 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Dec. 11, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episode 2: “Two by Two”

Early access: Dec. 17, 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Dec. 18, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episode 3: “Physician, Heal Yourself”

Early access: Dec. 24 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Dec. 25, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episode 4: “Clean” Part 1

Early access: Dec. 31, 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Jan. 1, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episode 5: “Clean” Part 2

Early access: Jan. 7, 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Jan. 8, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episode 6: “Intensity in Tent City”

Early access: Jan. 14, 7 p.m. EST.
General access: Jan. 15, 7 p.m. EST.
Bible Study and Small Group Discussion Guide: here
Review & Analysis: here

Season 3 Episodes 7 and 8: "Ears to Hear" & "Sustenance"

Early access: February 2 in theaters
General access: February 5 and February 7
Bible Study & Discussion Guide for Episode 7: here
Bible Study & Discussion Guide for Episode 8: here
Review & Analysis for Episodes 7 & 8: here

How do I watch The Chosen Season 3 online for free?

The best way to watch The Chosen Season 3 for free online is to download the new app for The Chosen (Apple Store / Google Play / Roku). You can also watch a livestream of each episode of Season 3 on the official channel for The Chosen on YouTube. However, new episodes will be taken down from YouTube after a couple days to encourage people to download the new app.

How can I get early access to new episodes of The Chosen Season 3?

As you read the schedule above, you might have noticed that each episode of The Chosen Season 3 has a normal release date and an "early access" release date. Those who pay-it-forward for 250 viewers (which costs $300) can watch new episodes of The Chosen one day earlier. [Help me gain early access to The Chosen by contributing here]

Tamar, Mary Magdalene, Judas, Nathanael, Little James, and Thaddeus in The Chosen Season 3

What will happen in the remainder of The Chosen Season 3?

I've already shared my reaction to episodes 1 and 2 of The Chosen Season 3, as well as my analysis of the Season 3 trailer and my ideas for what should happen in Season 3. However, I wanted to share a few additional insights that we can draw from the titles of episodes 3, 4, 5, and 6:

General Observations

I've noted how Episodes 1 & 2 form a pretty tight unit and should ideally be viewed together. Based on the episode schedule, it appears that we'll see a couple more two-part episodes: episodes 4 & 5 (which are explicitly labelled part 1 & part 2) and episodes 7 & 8, which I'm guessing will be released together in theaters like episodes 1 & 2 were. This leaves episodes 3 & 6 as bridge episodes between these larger units of Season 3.
The titles of the upcoming episodes suggest that we'll see an exploration of what it means to be clean - physically, spiritually, and ethnically. I'm expecting several episodes from the Gospel of Luke that deal with this theme.
Based on what we've gotten so far, I'm hopeful that the plot of Season 3 will feel more coherent than Season 2, which sometimes felt a bit disjointed.

Episode 3: “Physician, Heal Yourself”

The title of this episode, "Physician, heal yourself" is taken from Luke 4:16-30, which describes how Jesus revealed his identity to the people of his hometown in Nazareth. In the original biblical narrative, Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 - much to the surprise of the people of his hometown. They're willing to acknowledge the power of his teaching but they want Jesus to prove himself by doing miraculous signs at home just like he's purportedly down elsewhere (this is what the proverb, "physician, heal thyself" is referring to). Instead of bowing to their demands, Jesus rebukes them by pointing out how, in the days of Elijah, the "clean" but faithless people of Israel did not receive miraculous signs, while an "unclean" but believing widow in a foreign country did. Angered by the suggestion that God is more concerned about faith than ethnic purity, the citizens of Nazareth drive him out of town. I expect episode 3 will follow all of these events.
Since Jesus will be back in his hometown, I expect that we'll see his mother, Mary. We may also learn more about how The Chosen is making sense of the complicated question of Jesus' siblings (summarized here in my post on Little James).
Based on Jesus' interaction with Little James in Season 3 Episode 2, the title may secondarily refer to how little James has been given the power to heal others even though he himself remains disabled. I wouldn't be surprised if he is at the center of episode 3's b-plot.
Update: Little James didn't end up in the episode. It was a good guess!

Episode 4 & Episode 5: Clean Part 1 & Part 2

In Jewish theology, being "clean" is about far more than hygiene. It is a term that entails ritual, ethnic, and (sometimes) moral/spiritual purity. Part of what made Jesus such a controversial teacher is that he de-emphasized the importance of ritual and ethnic purity in order to welcome the marginalized and place a greater emphasis on the moral/spiritual dimension of purity. This angered the Pharisees, who placed a great emphasis on Old Testaments laws and later traditions that were aimed at maintaining ritual and ethnic purity. I suspect the controversy generated by Jesus' teaching on purity in Episode 3 will spill over into further conflicts and controversies in Episode 4 and Episode 5.
In Episode 2 of The Chosen Season 3, Jesus divided the apostles up into pairs and sent them out into the surrounding regions to proclaim his message and perform miracles in his name. During Episodes 4 & 5, I suspect we'll see a few "buddy-cop" arcs in which we see pairs of apostles carrying out their calling. I doubt we'll get time with all six pairs. If I had to guess, I'd say we'll get time with Simon Peter and Judas (two major characters), Simon Z and Matthew (Episode 2 clearly set up a conflict between the two of them and also suggested they might be pursued by Zealots), Thomas and John (Episode 2 set us up to expect Thomas' marriage proposal to Kafni, Ramah's father), and maybe Andrew and Phillip (both of whom have a connection to John the Baptist).
In addition to following the disciples, we'll probably see Jesus teach and perform a few famous miracles connected to being clean. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw: another exorcism (e.g. Luke 4:31-37 or maybe Luke 8:22-39), the healing of Gaius' servant/son (Luke 7:1-10), the healing of Jairus' daughter and the bleeding woman (Luke 8:40-56), the resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the prostitute wiping Jesus' feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50), and Jesus' teaching about inner v. outer purity (Luke 11:37-54).
Update: We only got a quick montage of the Apostles on mission together because the show is more interested in exploring how they've been affected by their missionary journey. The woman with bleeding ended up being source of the clean/unclean controversy.

Episode 6: Intensity in Tent City

In the title, "Tent City" is a reference to the encampment formed by pilgrims seeking Jesus in Capernaum that we saw in The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2. Although Gaius and Atticus were briefly able to quell Quintus' frustrations about the Tent City, Episode 2 hinted at a future conflict between the pilgrims and the Roman authorities. In particular, I expect that Quintus' plan to tax the inhabitants of the Tent City will lead to rioting - especially if the encampment continues to be a haven for Zealots.
Since the Tent City is in Capernaum, Episode 6 will most likely feature Mary Magdalene and Tamar, who have been stationed there and charged with caring for the pilgrims. We'll also probably follow up with the marital struggles of Simon Peter and Eden, who lives in Capernaum, and maybe the family strife between Big James and Zebedee/John that was hinted at in Episode 1 & 2.

Episodes 7 & 8 (John's Death & the Feeding of the 5,000?)

We don't have titles for these episodes, which suggests that the titles would be spoilers. I've been predicting that John the Baptist would be executed near the end of the season and I remain pretty confident in that prediction. My guess is that Episode 7 will include the exchange between John's followers and Jesus (Matthew 11:2-30) as well as John's beheading (Matthew 14:1-12), while Episode 8 will focus on the aftermath and Jesus' grief (Matthew 14:13). I expect Andrew and Phillip will be among the disciples who bury John (Matthew 14:12).
We also know that Episode 8 will include the Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6). I suspect that the 5,000 will be comprised of former inhabitants of the Tent City, who have fled in the aftermath of the "intensity" of Episode 6 (Matthew 11:13-14).
In the wake of John's death and the violence in the Tent City, Jesus' followers will almost certainly be frightened and some will want to respond to the violence of Rome with violence of their own. Indeed, I expect that they will go so far as to attempt to crown Jesus as the king of their revolution (John 6:15). In response, Jesus will openly reject the way of violence and make it clear that he has come to not to conquer but to suffer. He will invite his followers to join him in suffering, while receiving rest and nourishment from the Father, but many pilgrims will depart, disappointed that he is not the revolutionary they wanted (John 6:66). Still, the Apostle will remain and Simon Peter will give his famous line: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69).

So, what do you think? Are there other events you're expecting that I missed? Or are any of my predictions way off? Leave your ideas, predictions, and questions in the comments below!

A New Resource for Studying The Chosen

If you're like me, watching The Chosen is about more than entertainment. Bible movies & shows like The Chosen provide us with fresh eyes to see the significance of the Bible and the beauty of the Gospel. That's why I'm excited to share with you a new resource that I've created to help you study biblical adaptations & reflect on how they apply to everyday life. Come and See is a devotional journal designed specifically for studying Bible movies and shows like The Chosen. It includes sections for you to take notes on each episode's plot, your favorite quotes, personal connections, questions, and, of course, Scripture references. Whether you're studying on your own or with your small group or ministry, Come and See is a perfect resource to help you dig deeper into The Chosen.

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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 Season 4