‘The Chosen’ Criticized for Season 5 Scene in Which Jesus Promises To Pray for Judas

A recently released clip from the upcoming season of “The Chosen” is making waves online, with some calling out the dialogue in the scene as “unbiblical.” 

The footage was one of two scenes that Dallas Jenkins, who created and directs the show, previewed to fans during a livestream on Dec. 10. 

“The Chosen” is the first multi-season television show to depict the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and has received both praise and criticism. While the show has won several awards, it has also consistently received backlash for taking creative liberties with the New Testament accounts. 

Jenkins has defended the show in the face of allegations that it “adds to Scripture” on numerous occasions, including in an interview on “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” last year.

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“I come from a conservative, Bible-believing background. I’m a strong evangelical who believes that the Bible is God’s Word,” Jenkins said. “So we start with that as our primary source of truth and inspiration, and we don’t change it.”

Nevertheless, the show explores what it was like for Jesus’ disciples to follow him, and that includes imagining moments and scenarios that aren’t covered in Scripture. So when it comes to writing the scripts for the show, Jenkins and his team of spiritual advisors and biblical scholars strive to fill in the narrative gaps with details that are “plausible.”

“Is this plausible? Does this fit within the character of Jesus and the gospels? And if so, we believe that we have the opportunity to fill in some gaps,” Jenkins said. 

While not everyone agrees with how the show decides to fill in these gaps, Jenkins has continued to emphasize that “The Chosen” is not a replacement for Scripture and that the show has actually inspired many people to engage more deeply with Scripture. 

The latest scene stirring online conversation will appear in Season 5 of the show and depicts a conversation between Jesus and Judas. 

RELATED: Dallas Jenkins Reveals ‘Very First Line That Was Ever Written’ for ‘The Chosen’

“You have a choice to make, Judas,” Jesus says in the scene, “who you belong to. Who has your heart? I want it, and I’ve had it before. You followed me willingly.”