Faithful Friday: Personal Reflections on the Chosen’s “Two By Two” Episode

Faithful Friday: Personal Reflections on the Chosen’s “Two By Two” Episode

by: Debbie Waltz

As always, “Chosen” continues to change lives by the way it portrays Jesus’ ministry and his faithful disciples. Most notably, in the first season, Matthew (the tax collector) has some kind of disability like autism or Asperger’s, which gives him the unique capability of calculating numbers and mathematics; this season Dallas Jenkins has tackled one of life’s most tough questions is remarkably, “Why Jesus heals some and not others,”

If I’m honest, I’ve never really pondered this question much; I just accepted having CP (cerebral palsy) as part of my life and moved on, trying my best to do God’s will. That isn’t to say I don’t struggle because I do. There are days when I question the effectiveness of my ministry and its outreach.

In this second episode of its brand-new season, Jesus asks his disciples to go out in teams of 2, proclaiming the gospel and healing the sick. (Luke 9:1-6). While some question how this will be possible, others are simply speechless. Simon says merely,” Jesus doesn’t need us; he wants us….” After Jesus groups everyone into teams, he instructs them to take nothing but the clothes on their backs and rely on God for everything else. Oddly enough, Jesus has assigned “big James” and “little James” (the two disciples with the same first name) to travel together to go to the plains of Sharon.

While the twelve disciples openly debate his choices, Jesus assures everyone that they will do great things, not despite but because of their past. Despite this assurance, Little John asks to speak to the teacher, in which he openly shares his concerns. In this series, a short man with a limp portrays little John. It is reasonable that he would wonder why he should go out and heal others when Jesus has not healed him.

In a very touching conversation with his Master, little James questions why he has the authority to heal others while he hasn’t been healed. Not that he doesn’t believe it is possible, he does. Jesus answers: “Because I trust you.”

He explains how some people need signs and miracles to believe in the Messiah. Then, he explains that James’ testimony will be even stronger, showing confidence in the Lord’s ability to heal others despite being healed Himself.

Like Joni Eareckson Tada, I cried the first time I saw this episode. Even today, our focus remains on the physical signs and miracles of Jesus’ ministry rather than the spiritual ones. So much so that when someone isn’t healed physically, we often attribute it to their “lack of faith.”  Dallas Jenkins doesn’t take this route. Instead, he speaks truth into the hearts of people living with different infirmities for their entire lives. He knows that- besides physical healing, all humanity needs spiritual healing and strives to provide that above anything else.

This episode is available on the Angel Studios Fire TV app and the Chosen app for iPhones. New episodes premier every week, usually at 7 p.m. Eastern time.