However, Jesus knew her real name. All four Gospels suggest Mary was the first witness of the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, and John 20:1-18). Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. I've condensed the lesson into an easily printable pdf below. Initially Mary doesn't recognize Jesus. In my opinion it works. (Plots & Theme), Episode 2 Guide: Philip, Nathanael, & Matthew, Episode 3 Guide: Life Among the Disciples of Jesus, Episode 4 Guide: Simon the Zealot & the Man at the Bethesda Pool, Episode 5 Guide: Mary's Demons & the Destiny of John the Baptist, Episode 8 Guide: Judas, Matthew, & the Sermon on the Mount, Episode 1 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Lilith, and the Redeemer, Episode 2 Guide: Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Shabbat, Episode 3 Guide: Depicting Jesus in Art, Film, and TV, Episode 4 Guide: When Jesus Met Simon (Peter), Episode 6 Guide: Jesus, Shmuel, & the Pharisees. Episode 8 Guide: The Woman at the Well, Eden, & Zohara, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, The Chosen Season 2 Controversy (Jesus, the Bible, & the Process of Inspiration), Should Nicodemus Kneel? When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. The Chosen seems to be hinting that Mary is a prostitute (e.g. Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. To recap: in, One other thing - the show could have allowed some of the disciples (like John) to go a bit further in being judgmental toward after her return. The trauma of her rape is hinted at again in Season 2, Episode 5, and is the trigger that causes Mary to backslide. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. [Spoilers] Did anyone else misinterpret the HotD Finale? Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. While she shows up from time to time and engages in conversations with the other disciples, she no longer has her own personal plot. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Meanwhile, in the youth ministry that I lead, I had the chance to view and discuss season one of The Chosen with several high schoolers and found it very fruitful. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. Have you seen other examples of how Jesus can show up suddenly and change someone's life in a big way? Why do you think The Chosen depicted Mary as a prostitute? Its not perfect, but its a pretty great start. One day (hopefully) we viewers will get our first glimpse of the resurrected Jesus as we follow Mary to the empty tomb. When Nicodemus encounters her, we discover that the evil spirit that is possessing her is named Lilith. **Update: I explore the origin of the name "Lilith" in my recent post **. Many characters and stories are based on events in the Gospels, but there are also characters and events that the creators made up to tie things together. Although The Chosen is still a few seasons away from the Resurrection of Jesus, it is clearly beginning with the end in mind. ***Update: Learn more about the origin of "Lilith" in my recent post ***. FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In a previous era of Hollywood Mary's status as a prostitute made her exotic and intriguing. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. The Hebrew word "lilit" only shows up in Isaiah 34:14, where most modern translations render it as something along the lines of "night bird." Hopefully these questions will prove helpful as you watch episode 1 of The Chosen with your youth group. It's certainly not The Exorcist, but demonic stuff can really freak some people out. I have not seen any anti Catholic scenes. I can appreciate what theyre trying to do with the show: Theyre taking their time to build your relationship with the characters and to delve into some of the backstory so that everyone becomes a three-dimensional person, not just a mumbling zombie foil for Jesus. Thats as far off-script as they go for the rest of the season, everything else is pretty true to a harmonized Gospel narrative. Luke notes that Mary had seven spirits exorcised from her, but the other women experienced miraculous healing as well. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). Yes, we see that Jesus had warm and empowering relationships with females. One other thing - the show could have allowed some of the disciples (like John) to go a bit further in being judgmental toward after her return. After Mary's encounter with Jesus, we never really get to see her deal with her former life. In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. To clarify why the creators would want to add new characters and stories and leave some stories out, you could ask the following questions: What are some other popular adaptations of books into film or television? In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. Just before Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene, he tells a story about a prostitute that Jesus forgives (, Since I criticized Season 1 of The Chosen for making Mary too perfect, it's only fair that I acknowledge how Season 2 seeks to rectify that issue. Nicodemus was brought in to perform an exorcism on her but failed, making him question the fullness of the Law. This is not a theologian or an apologist. As it was, we didn't really get a good sense of why Mary responded the way she did. Later Jewish tradition described a demonic figure known as Lilith in a variety of ways. If you liked this post, you might want to check out some of my other posts on The Chosen and Bible adaptation. In Episode 8, we see that Mary is still struggling a bit - her failure is driving her to be a bit too unrelenting in her work for Jesus- but other than that she seems to be back on track. I found that my youth struggled to sort out the different characters, so you might want to do a quick slide show of the key characters using the character images I've included throughout this post. every time a new character showed up. I hope I better can temper myself. Still, at the end of the day, the 12 disciples who get the most screen time in the Gospels are all males. After sharing that information, you can ask: What stuck out to you about Mary Magdalene's depiction in The Chosen? Season 2 Reflection P2: What was The Chosen Season 2 about? When he encounters her again in Season 1 Episode 2, he is surprised to discover that she has been completely healed and is free of the evil spirits. Thus, when Jesus first encounters Mary, what he offers her isn't forgiveness for her life of prostitution; it's relief from the oppressive demons that drove her to the type of life that she's lived. [Update: In the comments below, an astute reader pointed me to a post by the official Twitter for The Chosen, which claims Mary is not being portrayed as a prostitute. Literally none of that is in Scripture or sacred tradition and that bothers me! Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (Luke 8:1-3). Over the past year, we've been exploring how The Chosen adapts biblical characters like Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Jesus, and the Romans. By noting how Mary is in the "Red Quarter", The Chosen is implying that she is a prostitute. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (. Her association with prostitution was a result of the proximity between the first mention of her in Luke (Luke 8:1-3) and a story about a prostitute (Luke 7:36-50). The creators of The Chosen have published interactive Bible Studies that are meant to explore some of the Scripture and biblical themes that inspired Season 1 and help viewers apply them to everyday life. Having offered some criticism, I will say that the scene of Jesus forgiving Mary was moving. They speak to different audiences & look good on screen), Can you think of characters or stories that the film left out? In The Chosen, when we first meet Mary Magdalene, most of the characters refer to her as Lili. For more details, check out my post focused specifically on Lilith, Demons, and Evil Spirits. The specific demon is not named in Scripture. Mary Magdalene is never called Lili or Lilith in the Bible. I think Mary went by Lilith when she came to Magdala, not scripturally speaking, but for the story line. I hope you enjoy them! In The Chosen, Nicodemus meets Mary Magdalene in Season 1, Episode 1. As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Interestingly, The King of Kings (1927) also uses Mary Magdalene to introduce us to Jesus for the first time. That being said, there's no biblical reason to think that she could not have done so. After Jesus heals her evil spirit, she resumes calling herself "Mary," her birth name, and refuses to answer to the name associated with her spiritual oppression. What do you think Mary's life was like before Jesus showed up? This is Tom My 3 month old son is battling an extremely rare and [Free Friday] after an early miscarriage 3 weeks ago, I Our new campus chapel is so close to being ready! In the Bible, there is no indication that Nicodemus met Mary Magdalene or that he tried to heal her or exorcise her evil spirits. Explain: The Chosen is a multi-season streaming series that's adapting the four Gospels. This allows the show to be more family friendly, but it also weakens the narrative that the show is telling about Jesus' compassion and pity. Do you believe Jesus knows you by name? Dallas mentioned how some viewers didn't like that Mary fell back into old ways, which seems ridiculous, but just goes to show how out of touch some people are with both real life and how stories work. Moreover, her biblical significance has been amplified even more by the attention that she's received from the interpretative and artistic traditions of the West. This version of Mary - not the one who needs moral reformation but the one who needs sympathy and belonging - fits perfectly with the kinds of stories that The Chosen has focused on. In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene fell back into sin, backslid, or left Jesus. Why do you think The Chosen is trying to connect episode 1 to what will happen when Jesus is resurrected? Her name always was Mary, but through her past of turmoil, mental illness, rape, or whatever else caused her to be mentally tortured, she led everyone to believe she was Lilith. When they are engaged in sin, it's often a result of their difficult circumstances or their status as outsiders, and so what they primarily need is love and acceptance, not forgiveness and repentance. You may want to warn students beforehand that this episode contains some demonic activity. Over time, the label stuck and now many adaptations depict her this way. To recap: in Episode 5 of Season 2, Mary begins to experience PTSD tied to the trauma of her rape by a Roman solider (implied very quickly in Episode 1 Season 1). What distinguishes Mary from the other women, however, is her association with prostitution. Click here for my affiliation policy. This comes out powerfully in the first Episode like to show you why is mary magdalene called lilith in the chosen here. Your contributions mean so much. In The Chosen, it is not entirely clear whether Mary Magdalene was engaging in prostitution before the events of Season 1, Episode 1. In the Bible, there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was raped. There you go! Season 2 Reflection P1: What is The Chosen Season 2 about? Jesus is said to have cast seven evil spirits out of her (, As I noted above, in the Bible there is no indication that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. It was, we never really get a good sense of why Mary responded way. 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