Sonny Edmondson

Bible Versions We just got home from seeing The Chosen Season 4, episodes 4, 5, & 6. A few years ago, someone gave us a Season 1 DVD. We watched an episode and could not get connected with it. It was good, but difficult to understand. A year later we were invited to a Bible study on Season 2. While in the middle of the multi-week Bible study, we decided we would try again from the beginning. We binge watched until we caught up with where we were in the Bible study. Since we got caught up, we have been anxious to see more when the new seasons and episodes are released. Something that made the difference for us was that we started watching with closed captions turned on. Even though The Chosen is shown in English, with dialects and accents, it is sometimes difficult to pick up everything they are saying. The actors, directors, and producers have done a fantastic job of showing us more of the human side of Jesus and His disciples. This past week Melanie and I were speaking with some strangers in a restaurant that happened to be Christians. They invited us to visit their church and told us they only used the King James version of the Bible. I asked them if they had seen The Chosen. They told us they heard of it but had not seen it. I explained that it was a series that told the stories of the life of Jesus and His Chosen disciples. I explained that it was embellished scriptures showing a human side of God’s Son that is difficult to see from the scriptures. They told us if it wasn't a pure King James version they weren’t likely to see it. We know not every word in the script is not in many versions of the Bible. Unless someone is simply reading the Bible to someone else, no matter what version, then they are embellishing the version to make it easier to understand. If we were to get real with versions of the Bible, unless we are reading the original scrolls, we are getting an embellished version. Since we don’t know Hebrew, or Aramaic, or Greek, then things have been changed from their original form. Just today we heard a sermon on the Hebrew word for “assembly.” The word is ekklesia. It was used to describe a gathering of people. It came about before churches existed. It described a group of people, not a building or place where they gathered. Ekklesia was later translated to the word “church” because the German word “Kirche” sounds like the word church. Here’s what I’m trying to say. If something helps you better understand the Bible and you become a stronger Christian from it, use it to get closer to God. Check multiple versions of the Bible and read them to compare one version against another. Most of us don’t speak the way things are written in the verses of a King James Bible. If you can read and understand the way it is written in a King James version (KJV) that is great for you but not everyone. I personally use the New Living Translation (NLT). I often check to see how a verse is stated in the King James version to compare them, especially if something does not make sense to me. The Chosen series is changing my life. It should be seen by everyone, Christian or not. As a Christian, it is supercharging my walk with Jesus. It is helping me to understand the human side of the Son of God. It is teaching me to try to be a better Christian tomorrow than I was today by seeing the lessons Jesus taught His followers. It reinforces that I am also chosen to share the love of God with others as He loves us. I am still a sinner, but a forgiven sinner. Look for The Chosen in Movie Theaters or the Angel Studios app. Sonny