The Chosen Season 6 Episode 1, 2 and 3 Recap: The Rabbi’s Arrest and Trial

Season 6 of ‘The Chosen’ brings to the screen the last of the biblical Passion narratives, exploring Jesus’ life as it nears its departure from the mortal realm. In the aftermath of Judas’ betrayal, priests, Pharisees, and weapon-laden guards arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane to carry out the preacher’s arrest. Once Jesus is taken away, his apostles, recently betrayed by one of their own, find themselves at an impossible loss. While some crave explanations and even justice, others try to hold on to their Rabbi’s teachings and follow his plans, however cryptic they may be. On the other hand, Mother Mary, along with the other female disciples, sets off to Jerusalem in an attempt to reunite with their Messiah. Meanwhile, in the holy city, Caiaphas carries out a trial, wherein the man who stands accused refuses to defend himself even as the scales remain weighted against his favor. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Caiaphas Orders For Jesus’ Arrest to Take Place Under the Cover of the Night

Convinced of his prophetically received mandate, Caiaphas remains determined to orchestrate Jesus’ fall. As a result, he stages an assembly of the Pharisees at the Sanhedrin in the dark hours of the night. However, before he can get away with the unscrupulous move, Nicodemus arrives and confronts the assembly about the lawfulness of their gathering. He questions why the Sanhedrin was being held so late into the night, right before a holy day. Moreover, he accuses the others of breaking Moses’ law for condemning Jesus before giving him a fair trial. Yet, instead of resolving the matter, Caiaphas calls for the meeting’s end and calls for eventual reconvening to discuss Nicodemus’ concerns. Shortly thereafter, a band of Pharisees and their allies set out to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss.

Unseen to the mortals’ eyes, as the guards surround the Rabbi and his apostles, a battalion of heavenly warriors takes their positions in preparation to protect the shepherd. Yet, Jesus signals to them to stand down during the confrontation. Even so, when Malchus, a servant of the high priest, tries to arrest and move forward with the arrest, Peter attacks him with his sword, cutting the other man’s ear clean off. In turn, Jesus de-escalates the situation before working a miracle on Malchus’ ear, reattaching it to his bleeding head. Afterward, he identifies himself as Jesus of Nazareth and allows the guards to put him in shackles and take him back to Jerusalem. Before this departure, he leaves his disciples with final advice: to turn to his teachings. Unsurprisingly, Peter heedlessly decides to follow his leader to Jerusalem at a distance. John inevitably follows to ensure the other doesn’t land himself in much trouble.

Mother Mary Travels to Jerusalem While the Rest of the Apostles Turn to Prayer

After Jesus’ arrest, the apostles find themselves well and truly lost. After some initial disagreement, they conclude their best course of action lies in traveling to Lazarus’ house to inform Mother Mary and the other women of what has transpired. The journey isn’t an easy one, especially when there’s plenty of fodder available for arguments and infighting. Nonetheless, the remaining nine apostles manage to arrive at their destination unscathed. Once they reunite with the others and share the grim news of their Rabbi’s arrest, it doesn’t take long for the women to realize the implications of Judas’ absence. Once the shepherd’s mother realizes the reality of the danger surrounding her son, she decides to travel to Jerusalem, accompanied by the other women.

Meanwhile, the apostles, who will undoubtedly become targets, have no choice but to wait the next few hours out at Lazarus’ house. However, when they decide to spend their time by heeding Jesus’ teaching and praying, Nathaniel refuses to participate. Jesus has taught them to pray for their loved ones as well as their enemies. Thus, the apostle insists he cannot offer any genuine prayer for someone like Judas, who has betrayed them and their leader so severely. The others form a prayer circle without him, taking turns to extend their prayers for the safety of the Messiah, their brothers, Mother Mary, and the others. When their grief pushes them to stumble in extending prayers for Judas, Nathaniel inevitably steps in, finally extending grace to their lost brother, pitying him for the cost of the evil that must have overtaken his heart.

Caiaphas Tries to Convince Annas of the Danger Jesus Poses

In Jerusalem, Jesus is taken directly to Caiaphas’ house. The High Priest already has the loyalty of most of the Pharisees against the Rabbi. Furthermore, his recent controversial cleansing of the temple has damaged his appeal among the traders and many regular citizens. Yet, he needs to sway the general public’s opinion of the man. The easiest way to do this is by convincing Annas, the former High Priest, that the preacher is dangerous. For the same reason, Jesus is brought to questioning in front of Annas, who demands to know about his teachings and more. In turn, the Rabbi insists that since all his teachings were done in public, he has already made his actions and intentions clear.

Furthermore, when presented with the possibility of relinquishing his teachings as the cost of his freedom, Jesus refuses to budge from his position. The list of sinful crimes that Caiaphas accuses him of includes things like breaking bread with tax collectors and women the Pharisees deem to be unclean. The shepherd accepts all these charges, refusing to acknowledge them as anything close to a sin. Meanwhile, outside Caiaphas’ house, Peter and John arrive in the city. The latter tries to rouse the crowd into action by telling them about Jesus’ unlawful arrest. Conversely, John manages to convince Malchus to sneak him into the room where Jesus’ trial is set to take place.

On the Stand, Jesus Refuses to Defend Himself

Caiaphas carries out a trial against Jesus in the late hours, inviting chosen Pharisees to weigh the scales in his favor. Thus, although he puts on the show of a fair trial, it seems to be anything but that. Various witnesses step forward, accusing the Rabbi of many crimes. As this unfolds, Judas watches from the sidelines, hoping that the leader whom he has betrayed would step up to defend himself. Nonetheless, Jesus refuses to put up a fight, allowing his accusers’ arguments to run free, even when they’re untrue. Eventually, unable to hold back any longer, Judas himself intervenes. He seems to believe that whether or not Jesus can truly destroy the Pharisees’ temple should be more important than the argument over whether he made such a claim or not.

Nonetheless, neither the Pharisees nor Caiaphas has any real interest in what Judas has to say. Thus, in the end, when the verdict is passed, the Rabbi is found to be guilty of blasphemy and political dissidence. For the same reason, it’s decided that he would be sent to Pontius Pilate to be judged and punished. Moreover, it is decided that all of his followers and their families must be brought before the law. This would include all of his apostles save for the traitor informant, Judas. Consequently, as soon as the verdict passes, Thomas, who has snuck away from the others to visit the city, flees. Alternatively, John decides to go stay by Jesus’ side, even if it’s from afar, and he instructs Peter to return to Lazarus’ place to warn the others.

Peter Denies being a Disciple of Jesus

Earlier, Jesus had told Peter that before the day is over, the young man would deny him three times. At the time, the latter had been sure that such an event would never come to pass. However, the trial brings forth a different truth. In the aftermath of the Rabbi’s conviction, Peter is tasked with the responsibility of returning to the other followers. However, before he can even leave the premises, a young servant girl recognizes him as one of Jesus’ apostles. Thus, in an attempt to keep his cover, Peter denies any connection to the preacher, disowning him in the process. The denial arrives thrice, and the guards escorting Jesus pass him by around the third time. As such, Peter catches his leader’s eye right as he denies ever knowing him.

Peter is crushed by the guilt of his actions afterward. Furthermore, Judas comes to confront him about the ordeal, disappointed and enraged that the other would disown their leader in such a manner. Naturally, this opens the floor for Peter to bring up the other’s betrayal, which led to these circumstances in the first place. The arrival of some guards breaks up their mounting fight as Peter is forced to hide while the informant covers for him. Then, Judas makes his own confession, revealing he had done what he did under the false pretense that he could force Jesus to take the throne of David. Alternatively, if he fails to do so, the preacher would be revealed as a fraud. Yet, now he realizes that the Son of God, despite his legitimacy, will choose his own destruction in service of a bigger plot. In the end, he decides to return to the temple in an attempt to set things right.