The ChosenThe Chosen Season 5 picks up immediately after the ending of Season 4, with Jesus’ triumphal (and tragic) entry into Jerusalem to kick off Holy Week. However, a plot is afoot that will change the course of mankind.
Everybody knows what’s coming. The Chosen’s story has always been pre-ordained, but that doesn’t make it any less emotional.
We know Season 6 will take place over one grueling day (some fans have suspected each episode will follow a different apostle’s POV), which leaves Season 5 to chronicle the days leading up to that historic and seismic event in history.
As the season’s title suggests, we’ll see the Last Supper, and Episode 1 opens with a glimpse of that final sitdown – with one disciple noticeably absent: Judas.
The Chosen Season 5 Episode 1 begins with a taste of the Last Supper
“Listen carefully, because I’m going to tell you what is about to happen,” Jesus tells the apostles at the Last Supper.
“In a little while, you will not see me, and then after a little while, you will see me. Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
“When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. When she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish. It’s replaced by joy that a human being has been brought into the world. So, yes, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
“In that day, you will ask nothing more of me. Truly, truly, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name – ask and you will receive, and your joy may be full.
“I have said so many things to you in figures of speech, and you have seen so many things that you haven’t fully understood. Some because you can’t fully grasp all of this until my time is complete. But you have remained faithful and the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
“In that day, you will ask in my name, and no longer will you need to ask the Father on my behalf… for the Father himself loves you and you can ask him directly because you have loved me and believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and I’ve come into the world, and now, I’m leaving the world and going to the Father.”
The ChosenAt first, the apostles aren’t sure how to react, until Matthew says, “Thank you.” Jesus asks what for, and he replies: “You said it plainly, no longer using figures of speech.”
You’d think the apostles may be disturbed by what he said, but it’s quite the opposite: it’s reassured their belief in him. “Hold onto that belief, because the hour is coming – indeed it has come – when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone,” Jesus says.
As you’d expect, they all vow to remain by his side. Jesus doesn’t want them to profess their love and loyalty. “Time will reveal all things,” he warns. “Be assured, all of you, I am not alone, for the Father is with me… I have overcome the world.”
He asks Andrew to close their sit-down with a hymn, and he starts singing an early version of ‘O set ye open unto me.’
As they all sing together, Jesus asks the Father to “glorify the Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life, to all that you have given him… and this is eternal life. They know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
“I glorified you on Earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do,” he adds.
Jesus’ triumphal entry turns sour outside Jerusalem
The episode rewinds to four days earlier, with Shmuel walking through the streets of a bustling Jerusalem. He meets with Joseph ben Caiaphas, the High Priest, and tells him: “It’s everything I feared.”
Outside the city walls, Jesus arrives on a donkey surrounded by his apostles, Mary Magdalene, Mother Mary, Tamar, and his other followers. They’re met with a huge crowd singing, “Osana to the Son of David.” Just like the apostles, they believe Jesus is the Messiah.
They’re confronted by three Pharisees – including Yussif, who stays quiet. They tell them to turn back, as their lives may be in danger. “You’re riding a donkey, for those of us who know prophecy your meaning couldn’t be any more clear,” they say (Philip explains to Tamar that Zachariah prophesized that the “your king” would come on a donkey).
Judas refuses to back down, but Yussif quietly warns Peter and John that Jesus may not be safe inside the city gates. Nevertheless, they ride into Jerusalem (Tamar offers her hand to Yussif, but he can’t follow… yet).
It is a joyous occasion, but Jesus is haunted by what it represents. He sees blood seeping from the city walls, almost bringing him to tears. Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene ask him if he’s okay, and he nods as they enter the city. Nearby, Atticus keeps an eye on Jesus, but he spots somebody lurking around the corner, taking notes – it’s the same person who was spotted at Lazarus’ resurrection.
As Atticus grabs an apple, he also spots Caiaphas watching from above, before he retreats inside.
Jesus steps off the donkey as they arrive in the temple, and Peter tells Andrew that he wants to learn how to preach. “Exactly why it’s risky,” Thomas says; they may be surrounded by friends and family, but there are plenty of strangers and others waiting with daggers. They also have a brief reunion with Barnaby and Shula.
Elsewhere, The Watcher… watches, and he sees Yussif sneaking off to put on a disguise.
Pontius Pilate meets with Atticus and Caiaphas
The ChosenAtticus goes to see Pontius Pilate. “All that fuss and he rides in on an ass,” he quips.
Pilate isn’t fazed by Jesus, his apostles, or the crowds, but as Atticus warns, “that’s what Antiochus said about the Macabees.”
For Pilate, it’s time for his meeting with Caiaphas (something he never enjoys). Atticus asks him to play nice (Pilate’s wife also has a strop about the shrimp, which are forbidden).
It’s clear Pilate and Caiaphas have little time for each other. For example, Pilate explains how the Roman Empire tolerates other religions “because we see them all as variations on the same thing.” He also threatens to touch Caiaphas’ garments, thereby making them unclean.
He hands them over, but warns: “Your right to borrow them is given provided you keep your people under control. No riots.” Of course, Pilate doesn’t miss the opportunity to make some money from the extra footfall, not-so-subtly leveraging the surge of pilgrims.
And then there’s a big tease: Pilate tells Caiaphas that three executions are planned for Friday (Good Friday!), including a zealot and a murderer, and he asks Caiaphas to gather a crowd. “We’re going to be friends one day,” he shouts as Caiaphas leaves.
God affirms Jesus’ glorification in death
Jesus tells the crowds: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the Earth and dies, it remains alone. If it dies, it bears much fruit.”
He explains that whoever serves him must follow him also, while Joanna finds Tamar and Mary Magdalene and offers them accommodation for their stay.
Jesus is still troubled, grasping his chest and saying in front of everyone, “Father, save me from this hour.”
He steadies himself and asks God to glorify his name. Suddenly, thunder and lightning shake the sky – but if you listen closely, you can hear God saying, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (as per John 12: 27-30).
“There will be many signs this week,” Jesus tells everyone. “The light is among you all for a little while longer, walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you.”
Thunder rumbles in the sky again, but Jesus jokes, “This time it was just thunder.”
John can’t shake what Jesus said, and nor can Mary. They’re worried about the implications of his sermons (as they should be), especially when Jesus tells them, “Time is running out.” He leaves the apostles to spread his message around the city and says he’ll see them again soon.
Peter asks Matthew to accompany him to note down everything he preaches – but as Matthew points out, it will be redundant because he’s just going to repeat what Jesus has already said.
The Watcher meets Kafni
The ChosenElsewhere in the city, Kafni leads a group of men, chanting, “Let him rain coals on false prophets.”
If you’ve forgotten, he’s the father of Ramah… who was killed in Season 4, and Jesus didn’t resurrect her.
The Watcher asks where they’ve come from and why they’ve come to Jerusalem. “This is no time for violence,” he pleads, but Kafni has his vengeful heart set on Jesus of Nazareth. “There is a fervor around that man that no one alive has seen before,” the Watcher warns, but Kafni walks ahead with his group, repeating the same hateful chat.
After Jesus’ sermon, the apostles check out their accommodation. They have some concerns about the heat they’ve attracted, but Big James reassures Simon that everything is going as Jesus intended – even when he appeared to resolve his own anxiety.
They also debate whether or not the sky spoke to them in the temple, and Thomas doesn’t look convinced. “Do you want to believe?” they ask him, but he doesn’t answer.
Mary Magdalene, Tamar, and Fiona unpack their things, but Mary is noticeably curt with everything she says, to the point that she excuses herself to sit with John in the courtyard. They look at a painting on the wall of the ghost of Clytemnestra, tempting to wake the sleeping furies.
“The furies are winged spirits driven by blood vengeance,” he explains. “They chase people, torment them, until they are driven mad.”
In short, they are nervous about Jesus and his behavior. They believe he’s going to die – and he knows it – but they also feel powerless to his wishes.
Kafni vows to hold Jesus accountable for Ramah’s death
That night, as Jesus’ teachings and tales of Moses can be heard in the streets, Kafni and his men huddle around a fire. They discuss John the Baptizer’s death, and how it was Herodias who was truly responsible for his execution.
Kafni asks the men if they’ve ever considered why Jesus never condemns the empire and their barbarity, and why nobody has held him to account. “They are less concerned about the death of one girl in the Galilee than their positions,” he says, and they vow to make everything “as personal as they can.”
Jesus shows up at a wedding
Jesus wanders around Jerusalem in secret, even dancing with strangers at a wedding. However, a child recognizes him and shouts out, “Osana!” The party stops out of reverence and kneels, but Jesus doesn’t want to draw attention, nor does he want to make the celebration about him.
The newlyweds ask Jesus to bless them before he leaves, and he gladly obliges.
“And to all present here tonight, may the light of the pascha feast burn within you, that with heavenly desires and pure minds you may attain the festival of everlasting light, the kingdom I am bringing into this world.”
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
The ChosenJesus climbs to a rooftop and weeps over Jerusalem, watching all of the revelry and bickering; the chatter and barter, the salt and the sugar. He foresees the city’s fiery, violent fate in the siege of Jerusalem, and it pains him.
“Oh Jerusalem… for the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on all sides, and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
He quietly steps into the apostles’ quarters and asks Zebedee to take Mother Mary back to Nazareth. He doesn’t give him a reason, but he asks Zeb to trust him.
Jesus sneaks away and fashions a whip. Spoiler alert, it looks like the temple is about to be cleansed.
Make sure you know everything about The Chosen Season 5’s theatrical release schedule and find out where to buy the best merch from The Chosen. You can also read our breakdown of The Chosen’s deal with Prime Video, and find out how to stream the show for free before Season 5.
We also interviewed Jonathan Roumie, who revealed the most difficult Season 5 scene to film and when fans may see the transfiguration.
