Dalls Jenkins has manufactured another unbiblical controversy to attract more viewers...

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While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. - John 17:12 (ESV)

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Dallas Jenkins, creator and producer of the wildly heretical "The Chosen," once said that his debacle provided the opportunity to "fill in some gaps." I want you to let that soak in for a moment. Jenkins, who claims to be an Evangelical, thinks that he can fill in gaps within the authoritative word of God penned by the creator of the entire universe. As if God has ANY gaps in HIS word. As if God forgot to include something. What Jenkins and those who marginalize this heresy never factor into their rationale is the bible is not about the ancillary characters. It is about the Son of God and His love, grace and mercy. It is not about Peter, so there is no reason to pretend there is a gap that can be filled in by painting Peter as a drunkard who cheated on his wife. It is not about Mary Magdalene, so there is no need to pretend there is a gap in the story that can be filled in by pretending she was raped by a Roman soldier to try and excuse her sin. John the Baptist told us that he was not even worthy to tie the sandals of Jesus, so we know the bible is not about him. Thus, there was no reason to fill in imaginary gaps by painting John as a creepy dude who confronted Herod because he thought his followers would somehow think it was cool. Every single second we spend focusing on these utter distractions is another second we waste to not tell people about who the bible is actually about - Jesus.

I say this as a background to the latest controversy coming up in the next season of Jenkins experiment in apostasy. I think it is important at this point to recognize that Dallas Jenkins does this on purpose. As a self-described Evangelical, I will assume that Jenkins knows the bible, at least from an academic standpoint. He makes these choices that he knows will result in controversy because he wants the controversy. He knows his true audience are not biblically literate Christians. His true audience are those that believe in the Osteenish caricature of God and are wildly more excited about the possibilities of the supporting cast in the bible and relating to them, than having to deal with a holy God. Keep this in mind as we review the above linked article from the Christian Post. Let us reason once more together.

'"The Chosen" creator Dallas Jenkins has defended the portrayal of an interaction between Jesus and Judas Iscariot as biblically grounded after pastors and Christian critics criticized the scene as "unbiblical." In a livestream video Sunday, the 49-year-old director addressed criticism over a scene from the forthcoming season of "The Chosen," which depicts a conversation between Judas and Jesus. "You have a choice to make, Judas," Jesus says in the scene in which Judas challenges Jesus to "reclaim" his "birthright." "Who [do] you belong to? Who has your heart? I want it, and I've had it before. You followed me willingly." "I want to continue," Judas replies. "There's nothing more that I want than that." Jesus takes an emotional Judas' hand, telling him, "Then I will pray for you. But for now, please leave me in peace." In his video, Jenkins said that after the clip was released, a friend texted him, saying, "Hey, over on [social media], you got them going again."' - Christian Post

The admission that his friends revel in Jenkins "getting them going again" is all you really need to know. By getting even his detractors going draws coverage to his series. This is the strategy that any coverage is good coverage because again, those who are critical, will probably never watch The Chosen anyway. The attention however is free advertising that draws more and more people into his web of deceit. So, what's the big deal here? Jesus was fully God and as such, He already sees all time. As the key verse reminds us, Jesus knew full well that Judas, who Jesus also called a devil, was going to betray Him. The choice, was already made. Who does he belong to? He belongs to Satan. The actual texts of the bible shows that Jesus flat out called him a betrayer. He signaled that whoever dipped their bread with His would be the one that would betray him. There is no ambiguity about this. I want us to grasp this. Dallas Jenkins is going to try and make this about people arguing if Jesus would pray for Judas. He wants this so he can sound reasonable and pretend that The Chosen facilitates needed discussions about important subjects such as this. Except it is not an important discussion because it is not the point. The point beloved, is God did not think it was necessary to include this in His word. Why? Because the point of Judas was not to highlight what or whom Jesus would or would not pray for. The point of Judas, as we see in the key verse, was that he fulfilled scripture. The entire bible is a story of God redeeming His creation by sending His only Son to die for our sins. The Old Testament testifies to this through prophesying about Jesus and the fact that He would be betrayed. Judas is that betrayal. Zechariah specifically prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. This conversation that Jenkins pulled out of clear air, portrays Judas in a favorable light. He sounds conflicted. He sounds like he is saying he wants nothing more in the world than to follow Jesus even though he has every intent on betraying Him. Realize that if Jesus broke through and if His prayers were somehow answered, and Judas chose to not betray Him, then He would be making Himself a liar in the prophecies. It unravels the sufficiency and authority of scripture. So yes, it is a pretty big deal.

'"It's over the issue of, 'Did Jesus pray for people? Did Jesus pray specifically for Judas? Did Jesus want Judas to change His mind? Did Judas have free will? Was Judas ever saved?' " all the typical Judas questions started to come up," Jenkins said. "There's a measurable amount of people who believe that we got it wrong," Jenkins added, "that I got it wrong." The director, the son of Left Behind author Jerry B. Jenkins, said some criticism was fair and "worth considering," particularly the question: "Would Jesus have prayed for Judas to change his mind?" "While I'm somewhat surprised that the concept of Jesus saying the words 'I'll pray for you' are controversial, I'm not actually that surprised that something like this comes up because it's a sensitive topic," said Jenkins. "Whether it's Jesus and Judas or whether it's eternal salvation or not, these are important issues, and that's why I'm actually glad sometimes when this happens." Jenkins said these types of controversies provide a "great opportunity and a great reason to have the conversation, to talk about these kinds of things."' - Christian Post

Do not fall for this beloved. The only opportunity Dallas Jenkins is concerned about is the opportunity to make more money by leading more people astray. The more conversations he can generate about his production, the more people he hopes will be watching it. Did Jesus pray for people? Of course He did. That is not the point here. God did not think it was necessary for this part of the story about His Son, to concentrate about Judas, other than to make the point that his betrayal fulfilled prophecy. The scriptures are not our private plaything to rewrite. Did Jesus pray specifically for Judas? I do not know. Do you know why I do not know? Because God did not include such in His word. I trust what God has written, not Dallas Jenkins. We are supposed to obey His word, no speculate about it or add to it. In fact, God said that anyone who adds to it should be accursed. Did Judas have free will? Of course He did. Do not confuse what we know because God sees all time and revealed to us what He has chosen to reveal. When a believer examines the life of Judas it should only be in relation to the betrayal of Jesus and how that fulfilled prophecy. That keeps the focus correctly on Jesus and His word and not idle speculation. The controversy is not simply about the concept of whether Jesus would pray for Judas but that the bible does not indicate one way or the other anything about it.

'Jenkins dismissed unfair criticism that misrepresents the show, clarifying he was speaking to those genuinely seeking understanding or needing answers for critics of "The Chosen."

"I'm talking to you, the person who is either genuinely seeking or genuinely trying to understand, or maybe isn't as familiar with some of these topics or issues, or also has a friend who came to you and said, 'Why do you watch this heretical show' and [it would] be good for you to have an answer," he explained. Jenkins said that two teams of conservative Bible scholars look over the script before it's utilized. "No, we are not implying that Jesus is going to pray that Judas will change his mind," he said. "Yes, Judas' betrayal is part of the Father's will. It is part of this crucifixion and, ultimately, salvation story. So Jesus did not say in the scene, 'I'll pray for you, Judas, that you'll change your mind from whatever you're about to do.'" Second, the director said Jesus "has known for a while that Judas would betray Him," stressing that "we are not implying that at this point in the story [that] Jesus wasn't sure what was going to happen [or] was hoping things wouldn't happen bad. Jesus knew." "So no, I'm not saying that Jesus didn't know or that Jesus was hoping things would change," Jenkins emphasized, adding that he believes "Jesus and the Father share the same will and that their wills are inextricably united."' - Christian Post

What? So, Judas' betrayal is part of God's will. It is part of the story of the crucifixion and salvation. Then why did Jenkins create this fantasy when Jesus says I will pray for you? What is He praying to the Father for regarding the man who would betray Him? Was He praying for his prosperity? Healing? This spiritual shell game Jenkins tries to play is flimsy and transparent. In Jenkins imagination, the conversation has Jesus saying that He wants Judas's heart even though He already knows he will betray Him. Then right after that he says He will pray for him. Why? Jesus did not have to say in the scene that He would be praying for Judas to change his mind. It is implied in this absurd conversation Dallas manufactured. He is either implying Jesus was somehow unsure of what would happen or He was somehow mocking Judas and prayer. Otherwise, what would be the point at all for saying He would pray for him? Biblical scholars reviewed this garbage? Which "scholars? Were they related to the Mormon studio that you are in partnership with the produce this tripe? THAT would make sense because Mormons clearly do not care about adding to scripture since they believe the Book and Mormon and The Pearl of Great Price are not only a new gospel, but are actually higher in importance than the holy bible.

"The director addressed the scene where Jesus tells Judas, "Who has your heart? I want it, and I've had it before." Jenkins said this "is not referring to salvation" and shared that he doesn't "believe you can just gain and lose your salvation at your own will." "How we're interpreting it is, of course, is that Judas did believe in Jesus and now might not, and then, ultimately, may not. We don't know," Jenkins said. "Those of an Arminian theological bent might argue that Judas was a believer who gave up his belief, while Calvinists might argue Judas was never truly saved," he said, quoting Dr. Huffman, a New Testament scholar who consults on "The Chosen." "To me, it matters little because if Jesus could pray for unbelievers while they were crucifying Him, it seems that Jesus could pray for Judas even while Judas was planning to betray Him." "The most simple explanation of the scene and of Jesus' phrase," Jenkins contended, is understood by reading His words in Matthew 5:44: "Pray for your enemies and those who persecute you." "[Jesus] is talking about praying for your enemies. Praying for those who curse you. Praying for those who do evil. Jesus did not say, 'But I won't because I happen to be a member of the Trinity and don't need to pray," he said." - Christian Post

Jenkins is parsing scripture as well as what he is trying to infer. So, Judas believed in Jesus but that somehow does not mean salvation? What did he believe? That He was a good guy? Do not be suckered in by the Arminian versus Calvinist debate. It has no relevance. It is also biblically stupid to make the point about Jesus saying forgive them for they know not what they do. Do you know why He said this? Because those people might still have repented before they met their own fate. In fact, we know that a Centurion, upon seeing the crucifixion and the tearing of the temple veil, declared that surely this was the Son of God! Who knows how many more who literally took part in the crucifixion would come to saving faith? Saul of Tarsus presided over the deaths of Christians and God still saved him. Judas though? Nope. Now, let's address this other scripture butchering from Jenkins. The verse Dallas takes out of context here is Jesus' teaching how He was raising the bar from the Old Testament "eye for an eye" to loving our enemies. Did Jesus love Judas? Of course He did! Did Jesus pray for Judas? Probably, because He prayed for all and He died for all. What we know did not happen however is this absurd conversation that paints Judas in the light of just being conflicted or confused, where Jesus replies with a ridiculous notion of praying for him, oh but not that he changes his mind, wink wink. This is the tired schtick that Jenkins always plays with his heresy. Oh, I am not saying this happened, just that it theoretically could have and if that generates conversation then somehow that is valued as being good. It is not because the conversation is not about what the word of God actually says, but rather these make-believe "gaps" in the holy and definitive word of God.

'"There are many ways to pray for someone, many reasons to do so. Compassion is a big one. Jesus could have had, absolutely, must have had, compassion for Judas. " [Jesus] had compassion for those who rejected Him. He had compassion and sorrow for Jerusalem." "Jesus did not say in this scene, 'I'll pray for you, Judas, that you will change your mind.' He said, 'I'll pray for you,' which can mean any number of things, and there are many reasons to pray for someone," Jenkins clarified. Jenkins believes that Jesus' will and the Father's will are "inextricably linked, but pointed to Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane where He was "asking for a potential change from the plan." "In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus actually said, 'Not My will, but Yours be done," Jenkins said. "Not mine, but yours, because in that moment, He was actually, in fact, saying, 'Could You take this cup from me?'" "Now, scholars have debated what exactly that means, and eventually you'll see that scene portrayed, but it's absolutely unarguable that he said, 'I want your will to be done, not mine,'" Jenkins said, "That seems to be the most likely scenario for a comment like that. Of course, there's people who disagree, and that's fine. " I don't claim that I have the monopoly on every single theological debate. " It's not impossible for Jesus to pray for Judas' heart while still saying to the Father, 'Not my will, but yours be done.'"' - Christian Post

Hey, it could mean anything! Maybe He was praying that Judas did well on his next interview to be a Rabbi's treasurer? Oh wait, Jesus would know already that Judas would die as a result of the guilt from His betrayal. Maybe He was just praying for travelling mercies? Was Jesus fully God to Dallas Jenkins? He must realize that Jesus knew full well that Judas would die horribly after trying to return the thirty pieces of silver, right? So, what compassion prayer was He going to be saying and even if that was the case - why didn't God reveal that for us when He wrote His word? Did He forget? Did he think it was not important because He knew Dallas Jenkins would take care of it thousands of years later? Only in the depraved heart of Dallas Jenkins can he think nothing of conflating a scenario he completely invented to Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, which beautifully shows that even with the doubts of His humanity, Jesus was completely submitted to the will of the Father. Is this fantasy of Dallas Jenkins possible? Sure. It is also possible that Judas was secretly an alien who came down from the Mormon mother planet and Jesus was just going to pray that he returned home safely, because you know, compassion. It could be possible that Judas was one of those doppelgangers that Katie Souza keeps saying are chasing her for some reason. Or maybe Jesus was just going to pray that Judas be delivered from the sneaky squid spirit or the Octopus spirit, or to stop being harassed by mermen? You know, before he betrayed him, tried to return the silver and fell forward to bursting in the middle in the field of blood, you know, as the bible actually says. Anything is "possible" but that doesn't mean a thing. God did not include these possibilities in His word - that much we do know. Despite Dallas Jenkins' best efforts to muddy scripture with what possibilities he dreams up in his deceitful heart. The rest of Jenkins comments only further try to mangle what we have already covered, so I will finish with one last comment from this article:

'"I do believe that Jesus can pray for people," Jenkins added. "I do believe that Jesus can pray for His enemies. I do believe Jesus can pray for Judas."' - Christian Post

Beloved, these are what are called strawman arguments. No one is making the argument that Jesus can pray for anyone, including His enemies. No one is even arguing that Jesus cannot pray for Judas. What we are arguing is that there is no biblical indication that Jesus ever said this at all, let alone during this imaginary conversation Dallas Jenkins created. He wants this conversation to drive people to want to see his show, and thus line his pockets more. This conversation brings no glory to God and none to the cause of Christ. Jesus is compassion. He is mercy. He is grace. Judas betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver and that was directly prophesied by Zechariah. We should not waste a second of our time in the gospels trying to figure out what God might NOT be telling us. Was Peter secretly a drunk? Was Mary Magdalene secretly raped? Was Judas somehow secretly conflicted about betraying the Son of God? WHO CARES. We could play these games all day long to try and avoid dealing with the core message of the bible - repent. Was Paul secretly selling cheap tents on QVC to support his ministry efforts? Did Lazarus fake his death for the insurance money? Did John the Baptist sell honey locust sandwiches for a secondary income stream? Hey, I am not saying these things happened! I am just saying they could have happened and if that generates discussions as to whether or not Matthew was autistic, as Jenkins portrays, then isn't that a good thing?

No beloved, it is most decidedly not a good thing to add to God's word. Why? Because it distracts from what God is actually trying to tell us. It adds to God's word. Now, I know that means nothing to the Mormons who are backing Dallas Jenkins but it matters to God.

Reverend Anthony Wade - December 22, 2024

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.