The Chosen Season 5 Last Supper Episode 3: Recap, Review, & Analysis

In Episode 3 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper (Part 2) , the Chief Priests and the Pharisees respond to Jesus’ assault on the Temple by attempting to trap him with a series of tricky questions and debates (Matthew 21:23-23:39, Mark 11:27-12:44, Luke 20:1-47). Meanwhile, as the disciples struggle to make sense of Jesus’ unexpected outbursts and Jesus’ ominous warnings about the Temple, Jesus takes Peter, James, John, and Andrew to the Mount of Olives and warns them of the coming tribulations that they will face as they bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations (Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21). Below, I’ll provide a detailed summary of what happens in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3, as well as a review and analysis of the episode’s key themes and messages. Also be sure to check out my reviews of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, and Episode 8 as well as my Bible study and discussion guide for Episode 3 and my upcoming discussion of The Chosen Season 5 Episodes 3-5 on YouTube.

Jesus faces Caiaphas and the religious leaders in the Temple Courts in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

What Happened in Episode 3 of The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper (Part 2)?

This is another episode where it's difficult to separate out different storylines. I'll give Jesus' debate with the religious leaders, the debates among the disciples, and his talk with Peter, James, John, and Andrew all as one big story. The only other storyline I'll separate out is Kafni's.

The Last Supper Cold Open

Once again, we get a cold open taken from the Last Supper, in which Jesus warns his disciples that he is going somewhere they cannot follow but encourages them to not be troubled, since he is preparing a place in his Father’s house for them (John 13:33-14:3). The disciples struggle to comprehend what he means. Thomas asks how they can know the way if they don’t know where he is going” (John 14:5), prompting Jesus’ famous line, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When Philip asks Jesus to show the Father, Jesus questions how they have been with him so long and haven’t seen the Father in him (John 14:8-11). When Matthew asks how they will know what to do without him, Jesus explains that he is sending a new helper, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in them (John 14:15-17). Nathanael and Big James aren’t excited about getting a different helper but Jesus insists that he will remind them of what he has taught and help them understand (John 14:18-26). As unsettling as the week has been, Jesus promises them peace and encourages them with the knowledge that he is going to the Father, challenging them only to believe (John 14:27-29). At this Peter insists that believing is not his problem and declares that he would lay down his life for Jesus (looping back to the previous episode).

Jesus, the Disciples, and the Religious Leaders in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

Episode 3 picks up where Episode 2 left off, with Jesus confronting Caiaphas and the Pharisees in the Temple courts. When Roman soldiers come to arrest Jesus, Atticus orders them to stand by and invites Jesus to make his statement and move on. Turning on the religious leaders, Jesus notes how God says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” But they have made it “a den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). Because of their dishonesty, Jesus insists that there will be no more purchased animals sacrificed – despite the upcoming Passover. As Jesus speaks, Simon Z recalls how in the Scriptures it is written, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17, Psalm 69:9). 

When the leaders question by what authority Jesus is acting, Jesus boldly declares it is his own. And as a sign, he challenges them to tear down “this temple” and promises to rebuild it in three days – a cryptic message that confounds them, since it took forty-six years to build the Temple (John 2:18-21). Seeing the religious leaders defeated, children lead the crowd in declaring, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:15). 

As the religious leaders fall back inside, Shmuel insists that they record Jesus’ “threat” to destroy the Temple in detail (see Mark 14:58) – although the others wonder if it was more of a prediction. Regardless, they all believe Jesus have blasphemed – except for Yussif, who Shmuel chides for believing. Even so, they realize Jesus has the people on his side. Because he seems to be honest, they plan on entrapping him with difficult questions in order to expose him as an imposter before the crowds.

After Jesus and the disciples exit the Temple, Judas and the disciples discuss amongst themselves how people will observe Passover if there are no more sacrifices to be brought into the Temple. They don’t want Jesus to leave yet again, but Peter urges them to let him go. Simon Z worries that the Pharisees are looking for him, but Jesus ominously suggests that they may find him. That makes Z even more eager to follow, not knowing what Jesus means, but James urges him to stick with the group.

Back at Phoebe’s home, John questions Thaddeus if he’s ever seen Jesus like that before. None of them have seen Jesus get violent – although Thomas still feels bitter about the violence Jesus caused and how it hurt Ramah. Judas is disturbed by the assault on the sacrificial system, though Philip points out that it’s actually an assault on a corrupt version of their sacrificial system. But Judas questions how they’re supposed to defend Jesus – and immediately has to clarify that he wants to defend Jesus but is concerned that he’s missing an opportunity to unite their people. Troubled, Mary departs, explaining to Andrew that she needs to get help.

As the disciple continue talking, Andrew wonders what it would be like to see things and not be his follower. Nathanael points out if he was a person in the market place, he would assume Jesus was having a bad day – although the others point out that the people left chanting.

As the disciples talk, Matthew privately thanks Jesus for letting him help with the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus invites him to go hear him preach, questioning whether it would be better to leave the others. He realizes the events of this week have been surprising and even shocking for them. Matthew likes surprises, since they allow deeper learning and understanding, but fears true shocks. Jesus sadly reveals that they will not have any more opportunities for one on one teachings but urges Matthew to keep listening and observing as he always has. As the other disciples appear, to their excitement, he reveals that he’s going to go teach the Parable of the Vineyard.

In the Temple, Jesus begins teaching with the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) while crowds watch, including Yussif (in disguise), the Watcher (watched by Simon Z), Shula, and Barnaby. He’s interrupted by Shmuel and the religious leaders, who have questions they want him to answer in the sight of all, so that he can reveal who he is to the people. First, Zebadiah questions where Jesus’ authority comes from. In response, Jesus questions where John’s authority comes from. The Pharisees huddle up, realizing he’s trapped them – they either need to concede John was right and they were wrong or they need to anger the crowd by denying John. Following Shmuel’s advice, they plead ignorance – and Jesus consequently refuses to answer their question (Matthew 21:23-27).

Seizing the momentum, Jesus begins telling the Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:33-41)., while the disciples play act the story on the Temple steps. At first Shmuel and his friends don’t understand that the parable is about them and the Temple, but eventually Jesus explains that “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42, Psalm 118:22-23) and that the Kingdom is being taken from them and given to those who bear fruits (Matthew 21:43).

The religious leaders are scandalized, but quickly come up with a new ploy (Matthew 22:15-22). After praising Jesus’ forthrightness, they ask him about paying taxes to Caesar. Inspecting a denarius, Jesus notes the image of Tiberias Caesar, and the inscription, “son of the divine,” which receives boos. Jesus wonders aloud how they can justify taxes to a foreign occupier who blasphemously identifies as the son of a god. At the same time, he recognizes that paying taxes also means funding roads and other services. Moreover, whatever may be written on coins, the world belongs to God. He concludes by challenging them to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s to the God the things that are God’s. This answer clearly disturbs Judas and some in the crowd who begin chanting against him.

Shmuel and Yanni face Jesus in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

As Jesus resumes the Parable of the Talents, but is once again interrupted by Shmuel who questions him about the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40). When Shula questions why the Pharisees require so much more, Jesus acknowledges the authority of the teachers but begins pronouncing woes upon them and laments for the coming desolation of Jerusalem (Matthew 23). Turning to leave, he insists he is done teaching and that they will not see him again until they say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).

When Peter finds Jesus taking in the beauty of the Temple one last time, he comments on its beauty, only for Jesus to warn that it will soon be thrown down (Matthew 24:1-2). As they continue on through the city, the other disciples question whether Jesus really meant what he said about being done preaching, but John insists that he did. Peter sends them back home but goes with James, John, and Andrew to ask Jesus more about his words. They find him sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking out on Jerusalem, and ask him for what sign to look for to anticipate the coming Kingdom. In response, Jesus gives his long prophecy about the coming troubles, the tribulation and persecution of his followers, and the Gospel of the Kingdom spreading to all nations before the End (Matthew 24:3-14). Jesus explains no one knows the day or hour except the Father and urges them to keep on guard (Matthew 24:36). 

It’s a lot for the four the take in, so Jesus dismisses them back to Jerusalem so he can have time alone. As he sits, lamenting over how Jerusalem does not know the things made for peace (Luke 19:41-42), he sees sheep and hears music playing. He finds a young man playing on a harp and singing Psalm 5. He realizes it is a vision of David, but the vision suddenly stops and Jesus is once again alone.

Kafni in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

In the aftermath of the cleansing of the Temple, Kafni finds a man whose lambs were let loose by Jesus and begins questioning him to figure out how much money he lost as a result of the disturbance in the Temple. The man realizes that Jesus doesn’t have much money, making him a poor target for a lawsuit, but Kafni hints at another way they can take to get back at him.

Later, when Jesus is answering the question about paying taxes to Caesar, Kafni initiates the angry chants denouncing Jesus as a false Messiah for supporting Rome.

The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3 Review

Episode 3 tackles some pretty challenging material, but there’s a lot that it does well:

• Performances: Jonathan Roumie really had to carry this episode with his acting. So much of the time was him speaking – to others, to the disciples, etc.. For his part, I think he did a great job. I also thought Shaan Sharma did a great job as Shmuel.

• Tension: In general, I think the show does a good job of establishing the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders. I also appreciate how the religious leaders struggle to figure out how to respond on the fly – a very believable difficult in such a tense, highly-watched moment.

• Enacted Parable: I love the idea of the disciples play-acting the parable. Not only did this help make the teaching more interesting visually, it also helped illustrate an oft misunderstood dimension of the parables: Jesus designed his parables so that those without ears could hear them and completely miss the point. In this rendition, I could totally see how some listeners (like Shmuel) would miss the meaning of Jesus until he made it more explicit.

• Theology: Episode 3 tackles some biblical passages and teachings that have inspired a lot of debate. Overall, I think it did a good job of presenting an understanding of Jesus’ actions and teaching in the Temple that fit well with many theological systems, while avoiding areas that are more debated (and difficult). 

• Solving Biblical Problems: I’ve heard skeptical scholars question how Jesus could cause such a disruption in the Temple and avoid getting taken by either the Temple Guard or Rome. I appreciate how the show uses Atticus’ involvement to address this.

• Ending: The Chosen never showed Jesus’ Transfiguration, but Jesus’ moment on top of a mountain with David is a nod in that direction. That Jesus would take comfort in seeing his ancestor who also faced fierce opposition from his own people makes a lot of sense.

Even so, I do think there were some issues with Episode 3:

• Who are you again? Even as someone who has studied The Chosen in depth, I found it challenging to keep track of the identities and distinct motivations of the specific religious leaders involved in the debate. I imagine more casual viewers may be even more confused – and disconnected. I could have used more Shmuel and less of some of the other figures I was less invested in (I know at least a couple others would be needed to fulfill what the sources tell us). Of course, if the show had been able to do more with the religious leaders in Jerusalem during earlier seasons, some of the other figures would have been easier to identify and connect with, but we can't rewrite history.

• Talk Talk Talk: Compared to the action of the first two episodes, this episode was very talk heavy. I wonder if it would have been wise to split up the speeches more with other action.

• Matthew Fake Out: I was hoping we were going to get a more Matthew-centric episode after Jesus started talking to him. When we didn’t get more, that just reminded me of how little of Matthew we’ve been getting, which is disappointing.

• What happened to Leander? Leander totally disappears off the map. While I realize he’s fulfilled his job in the source material, I feel like we should have wrapped up his character a little more.

Jesus denounces the religious leaders in The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

Key Themes of The Chosen Season 5 Episode 3

Authority

Episode 3 is basically a contest between two competing authorities: Jesus and the religious establishment of Jerusalem. We are reminded of Jesus’ unique and unparalleled authority in the Last Supper cold open sequence, in which Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to Father except through me” (John 14:6). This verse is frequently taught to young Christians because it points to Jesus as the supreme authority for life and salvation. Jesus bolsters his divine authority by pointing to the divine works that have accompanied his teaching (John 14:10-11). After he leaves, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, who will help his disciples recall and understand his authoritative teachings (John 14:25-26).

After the cold open, we are immediately thrust into a confrontation between Jesus and the Chief Priests and Pharisees. When Zebadiah questions by what authority Jesus has cleansed the Temple, Jesus declares that it is his own. Asked to give a sign validating his authority, Jesus challenges the religious leaders to tear down “this Temple” so that he can raise it in three days (John 2:18-19). Although they get confused and miss the point, Jesus is actually pointing to his death and resurrection as the ultimate sign of his authority. In Johannine theology, the crucifixion is seen as a kind of enthronement or exaltation, in which Jesus’ divine kingship and authority is revealed and exercised (e.g. John 12:31). The resurrection is the ultimate validation that Jesus is in fact Lord and God (John 20:27-29).

When the Pharisees begin to question Jesus, they are seeking to either undermine his authority in the sight of the people, force him into a serious theological error, or force him to challenge Rome. When they ask him where his authority comes from, he evades their question by asking them first to identify the source of John’s authority, which is acknowledge by the people but rejected by the urbane elite (Mark 11:27-33). He then uses the Parable of the Vineyard to point to how they have abused their authority in defiance of God, the true master, and to warn of how they will soon be stripped of that authority (Mark 12:1-12). They respond by asking him about paying taxes to Caesar, hoping that he will undermine Roman authority, but Jesus shrewdly upholds God as the only true divine authority without undermining the practice of Roman taxation (Mark 12:13-17). Jesus closes his time with an assault on the authority of the religious teachers due to their hypocrisy and self-exultation (Matthew 23). Later, as he talks to Peter, James, John, and Andrew, he warns of false authorities that will attempt to deceive his people (Mark 13:5-6) but gives them hope of the day when his authority will be vindicated decisively (Mark 13:32-33).

The Father’s House

The biblical story begins with humans dwelling with God in a garden-temple; after sin, the humans are expelled but the ultimate goal of the biblical story is for humans to be brought out of exile and return to the Father’s house. When Jesus tells the disciples that he is departing in order to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house (John 14:1-3), they should be elated, but they’re too worried about the idea of him departing to appreciate how wonderful this news is. And that’s not even the best news that Jesus shares – he also promises to send God’s Spirit to dwell in them (John 14:15-17). Not only will they dwell in God’s house – God will make them into little houses/temples for his presence to dwell in. Of course, Jesus is the true and ultimate dwelling place of God’s presence – the Father is in him and he is in the Father, so much so that to see him is to see the Father (John 14:7-10). But by uniting themselves to Christ by faith and obedient love, the disciples can participate in his status as the dwelling place of God (John 14:23).

Up until the advent of Jesus, the closest that humans could come to reentering God’s dwelling place was to enter into the Temple in Jerusalem by means of sacrifice. Stewarding the Temple, the Father’s earthly house, was an immense responsibility. On the one hand, the priests were tasked with maintaining the sanctity of the space by keeping out impurity. On the other hand, they also had a responsibility to unleash God’s spiritual influence by bringing in Israelites and even Gentiles who wanted to encounter God. In his confrontation with the chief priests, Jesus accuses them of getting their job completely backwards, turning a “house of prayer for all the nations” into “a den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). Their arrangement with the money changers and animal-sellers has brought in greed and impurity, defiling the holy space, while at the same time keeping out Gentiles who want to encounter God’s spiritual influence. As Simon Z realizes, Jesus’ anger is fulfilling the Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17, Psalm 69:9).

The Temple in Jerusalem has become so defiled that God will ultimately allow it to be destroyed by the Roman armies, as Jesus saw in his vision in Episode 1. But God isn’t leaving his people without access to his house – in fact, he has already sent his true dwelling place (Jesus), a Temple that will also be destroyed, only to be rebuilt in three days (John 2:18-21). And so Jesus warns the tenants who rule over his Father’s house (the Chief Priests) that their exile is near and that the Stone that they have rejected (Jesus) will soon become the cornerstone of a greater Temple, the church (Matthew 21:33-44). His decision to shut down sacrifices at the old Temple is both a sign of its defilement and an anticipation of how its role will be superseded by the church.

The disciples don’t track everything that Jesus is communicating and so he explicitly warns them that the Jerusalem Temple will be thrown down. Peter, James, and John can’t imagine a world in which God doesn’t have a house on earth and so they assume that Jesus is telling them that the end is near (Matthew 24:1-2). To their surprise, this is not exactly what Jesus is telling them. Many more things must happen before the end comes and God makes his home on earth. But that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a house on earth. The church will be God’s movable house, spreading his holiness and spiritual influence across the world and to all the nations – just as his stone house in Jerusalem was meant to do.

The disciples struggle to make sense of Jesus' actions in The Chosen Season 5: Last Supper (Part 2)

Peace in Difficult Times

One of our most basic human desires is for a state of peace. It’s logical to think that we can get peace by avoiding conflict and difficulty. But the peace that Jesus offers is quite different. Jesus doesn’t offer to keep conflict and difficulty out of our lives; in fact, Jesus warns his disciples about false prophets who offer easy solutions and instead promises his followers persecution and difficulty (Matthew 24:4-12). The peace that Jesus does offer during the Last Supper comes from the comforting presence of his Spirit (John 14:18-26) and from the belief that Jesus knows the end from the beginning and is now reigning in heaven with his Father (John 14:27-29).

Although Jesus promises peace during the cold open, he spends most of the episode disrupting the false peace of Jerusalem and of his disciples. Having just set the Temple in tumult, he's given an opportunity to explain himself. Instead of trying to lower the temperature, Jesus heats things up by claiming authority over the Temple, shutting down the sacrificial system, and challenging the legitimacy of the chief priests. Jesus’ “violent” assault on the sacrificial system also disrupts the internal peace of the disciples, who struggle to make sense of the apparent change in their teacher. As Matthew explains to Jesus, his actions feel like not just a surprise but a true shock. But this seems to be one of Jesus’ goals. Jerusalem has made peace with the corruption in the Temple and the disciples have made peace with their limited understanding of Jesus’ mission. True peace will not be possible until Jerusalem and the disciples have been shocked out of complacency and their false sense of peace.

Of course, no one expected the Messiah to be totally peaceful. In fact, most faithful Jews believed that the Messiah would come to make war with Rome, and so the religious leaders try to provoke Jesus into doing so rhetorically by asking him to weigh in on Roman taxes (Matthew 22:15-22). In a sense, Jesus is being asked to choose between conflict with Rome (the implication of rejecting the tax) or conflict with the people (the implication of legitimizing it). Jesus chooses a third way, which challenges both perspectives (subverting the theology and authority of the Roman emperors while legitimizing taxation). While some of the people are impressed by his rhetorical jiu jitsu, Jesus’ words draw the ire of many in the crowd. Again, instead of trying to lower the temperature, Jesus heats things up by unleashing a verbal assault on the integrity of the religious establishment (Matthew 23). He recognizes that they lack the character needed to steer Jerusalem away from the path of war and devastation – indeed, the city’s only hope is for them to be shocked out of complacency. In the meantime, Jesus calls his disciples to endure, rejecting the false peace offered by false messiahs, even if it means being hated and put to death (Matthew 24:9-13).

What did you think about Episode 3 of The Chosen Season 5? I’d love to hear your reactions, questions, and theories in the comments below. Checkback soon for more content, and also be sure to check out our discussion of these events in The Chosen Season 5 and Scripture Podcast.

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