I’ve been watching—again—the recent hit series, The Chosen. I particularly enjoy how the writers/producers of the series have created stories around the biblical accounts. I appreciate the God-given gift of imagination and the way the writers/producers use this gift to build backgrounds for people about whom we know almost nothing. In essence, putting flesh on the the skeleton of the people involved. While the Gospels are the Word of God, they lack the narrative of the stories behind The Story.
So, I ask your indulgence while I let my imagination go on a little trip.
I have often wondered about John the Baptist who was Jesus’ cousin and only three months older than Jesus. They didn’t live that far from each other since it took less than a day for Mary to go visit Elizabeth. When the Gabriel announced to Mary that Mary would be the mother of the Messiah, he also told her that her cousin, a woman advanced in age and considered barren, was six months pregnant. (See Luke 1:36). A fact that no one in her town had known.
I imagine that Jesus and John, being so close in age would have practically grown up as brothers, running around doing “boy” things. With elderly parents that John would have had, he might have taken advantage of their inability to keep up with a rambunctious boy who might have begun his appreciation for the taste of locusts at an early age.
We know that Jesus was sinless, but just how much can one push the envelope without sinning? I’m sure we’ve all tested our parents in that regard, no? We might expect that Jesus would have been the “good” boy to keep John in check, right? Perhaps Jesus had to keep John from getting into too much trouble, or maybe it was the other way around.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in Wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. ~Luke 2:51
Scripture says Jesus was subject to Mary and Joseph. As a human boy, Jesus had to learn how to obey Mary and Joseph, his earthly parents. As Jesus grew in knowledge and understanding of the scriptures with the help of his Jewish parents, He grew in knowledge and understanding of who He was. At the same time, spending time with His “brother,” John would have been exposed to the history of his people, the role of the one who was prophesied to “prepare the way” for the Messiah and the prophecies regarding the Messiah as well.
In the biblical story of Jesus getting lost for three days when he was 12 years old, scripture doesn’t say how Jesus ended up in Jerusalem speaking with Rabbi’s. Has anyone even speculated?
In my Imagination…
As the family, or rather the families taking part in the caravan, were loading up their belongings to take the long trip back to Nazareth, perhaps John and Jesus were being typical 12-year-old boys. They got to playing together, running out to the desert, exploring, sleeping outside under the stars, and talking for two days. Approaching the age of manhood with their impending Bar Mitzvah’s, perhaps they were wondering what “manhood” meant, looking back at their youth, and then looking toward their futures.
Perhaps Jesus was talking to John about things he was beginning to understand about His True Identity. John, feeling the Holy Spirit stir in his own heart, remembered the story he had grown up with being told about the day described in Luke 1:41.
Having given their families the slip, Jesus and John spent the next two days together talking about the mysteries of both of their lives, John being a late-life gift to Elizabeth and Zachariah, the supernatural surroundings regarding his conception and birth. The mystery of how he got his name.
Jesus beginning to understand the mystery of his own birth, the humiliation of being conceived out of wedlock, and Joseph not being his biological father. Indeed, not having one. Certainly, the population and strict moral values in that time and culture would have assured that everyone knew of the circumstances of Jesus conception from all kinds of speculation and talebearing.
But the boys were boys and played as boys play. Until on the third day when they wander into Jerusalem. They find themselves nearing the temple. When Jesus hears the rabbi’s teaching, he stops in his tracks and listens. He no longer hears John speaking to him. He can only hear the teachers discussing the Words of His Real Father. His heart is moved, propelling his feet forward, between other people walking past and some listening in.
Recognizing the look on Jesus’ face as one he has seen before when discussing the scriptures that had caught Jesus’ attention when learning about Himself, John follows a few steps behind.
Jesus stops only when he is so close to the teacher and students that they turn their attention to him.
Appreciating his youthful interest in the Torah, the rabbi indulgently asks if he has any questions. He does. And suddenly, he is caught up in a full-on discussion as an equal with the teachers of scriptures. But the questions He asks them, provoke them to ask questions of him. Both Jesus and John lose track of time as the tennis match of questions continues. Soon, other people stop to listen in on the discussion and a crowd begins to gather, until…
Suddenly, John’s attention turns, and he sees Joseph. A worried expression on Joseph’s face, he looks this way and that, not even looking in the direction of the scholars and growing crowd. After all, why would a 12-year-old be debating with a bunch of Scripture scholars?
John realizes they are in trouble. He tries to get Jesus’ attention so they can get out of there. But Jesus is so engrossed in the exchange that He sees nothing else.
John runs and hides behind one of the vendors to see what will happen next.
Joseph makes his way through the people, inadvertently getting closer to then passing the debate when he unexpectedly hears Jesus’ voice behind him answering a question. Joseph wheels around to see the rabbis’ rivetted attention on Jesus. Frozen in place, Joseph watches for a few minutes, amazed at all he sees and hears, unable to comprehend what is happening.
He peers around the group, rapt attention on each face. Just beyond, he sees another Pharisee arriving. Nicodemus, the teacher of teachers approaches, curious at the growing crowd. Sensing danger, Joseph puts his hand on Jesus’ shoulder, excuses them both, and leads Jesus away.
Back to Today…
Like I said, there are unlimited number of details of human drama behind the people Jesus called, and their friends and families that simply are not in the Gospel accounts. Any number of scenarios could have happened. I applaud the creators of The Chosen because building stories around the people makes them more relevant.
The lack of details can sometimes make it difficult to relate to the people as people with their own histories. They were human beings just like us. And Jesus wants to relate to us in the same way—know each of us, on an individual and personal level with our own histories and back story.
