The Chosen + BibleProject | Season 1 Reading PlanSample

From Chaos to Rest

Seeing Mary of Magdala rested and smiling is shocking for the religious expert Nicodemus, who had previously been unable to offer her healing or rest. Mary had been abused by people and was troubled to her core by evil spirits. Nicodemus had tried his best to help, but nothing worked.

Now, he sees her restored and radiant—she’s healed! He figures his trusted religious healing practices must have taken longer than expected to work. Mary says no—nothing Nicodemus did helped her. Mary’s healing came from Jesus, the real healer who knew her true name and gave her true sabbath rest, the opposite of chaos and darkness.

This creatively imagined scene with Mary and Nicodemus maps onto the biblical story of Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath (John 9:1-25), the day of rest. Like Nicodemus, the onlooking religious “experts” are shocked and even furious. They demand to know how this blind man has regained sight.

Like Mary, the blind man isn’t sure how he was healed. All he knows is that he could not see, and now he can. Between then and now, the only thing that happened was an encounter with Jesus. The experts, who trust their tradition and authority, could be happy and thankful for God’s healing work. But instead they are furious, and they accuse Jesus of wrongdoing.

We all face the temptation to blindly trust in what experts call authoritative religious traditions. We might have been taught that eloquent and lengthy prayers will impress God and get his attention. Or we might think that regular church attendance or generous giving can earn his favor, and then he will reward us with rest. But God already favors us as his beloved children and offers sabbath rest in Christ.

The transformation from broken to healed, from chaos to restfulness, happens through our allegiance to Jesus and trust in his love, not through perfectly executed rituals or adherence to human traditions. Jesus invites us to find rest in him through unfamiliar, unexpected ways—ways that shock the so-called experts.

Reflection Questions

1. Nicodemus’ response to Mary’s healing mimics the Pharisees’ response to Jesus healing a blind man (John 9:1-25). In both cases, the people cannot believe that true healing has taken place. But why? What makes these so-called experts and teachers of religious law so suspicious of Jesus?
2. Nicodemus followed common Jewish exorcism practices when he attempted to help Mary, but Jesus’ simple words proved more effective for healing her. How does it feel when we discover that our trusted methods and ways of life prove to be ineffective? When Nicodemus learned that Jesus’ way was better and more life-giving than his own, what thoughts or decisions would he have had to wrestle with?