The Shepherd: A Story of the First Christmas

The episode "The Shepherd" of The Chosen serves as a prelude to the series, offering an intimate portrayal of the birth of Christ as seen through the eyes of a humble shepherd. This episode stands apart from the main storyline, as it focuses on the nativity story, but it shares the same heart and tone that define the series. The episode opens with a glimpse into the life of a crippled shepherd who is looked down upon by his peers and society. The early scenes portray his isolation, as he struggles with both physical and social limitations, creating an immediate emotional connection with the audience. The shepherd's hardships are the perfect setup for a story of redemption and divine intervention.

The direction of the episode is careful and contemplative, allowing the viewer to soak in the atmosphere of ancient Judea. Dallas Jenkins takes a restrained approach to the storytelling, emphasizing the small details of daily life in this period. The cinematography is rich with earthy tones, enhancing the authenticity of the setting. The use of light in particular stands out, especially in scenes leading up to the angel's announcement of Christ's birth. This scene is visually breathtaking, with the contrast between the ordinary night sky and the sudden divine brilliance effectively capturing the miraculous nature of the event. However, some viewers may find the pacing a bit slow, as the episode spends a great deal of time on the shepherd's daily struggles before shifting to the supernatural elements.

In terms of performances, the cast delivers subtle but impactful work. The actor portraying the shepherd brings a raw vulnerability to the role, making his character both relatable and sympathetic. His journey from doubt and despair to faith and joy is portrayed with minimal dialogue, relying instead on facial expressions and body language. This choice emphasizes the power of visual storytelling, and it works well within the context of the episode. While the other characters, including the angel and the people of Bethlehem, play smaller roles, their presence serves to highlight the shepherd's personal transformation. The quiet strength of these performances ensures that the spiritual message of the episode resonates without feeling overly sentimental or preachy.

The script of "The Shepherd" is minimalist, with dialogue used sparingly and effectively. The focus is more on the visual narrative, which allows the emotional beats of the story to land with greater impact. The themes of humility, faith, and divine grace are woven throughout the episode, as the shepherd's lowly status is contrasted with the grandeur of the event he witnesses. The simplicity of the shepherd's faith, despite his hardships, speaks to the broader theme of God choosing the humble and overlooked to reveal His glory. The writing is subtle in its delivery of these themes, allowing viewers to reflect on the spiritual implications without feeling forced.

One of the most striking moments in the episode is when the shepherd, after witnessing the angelic announcement, makes his way to the manger where Christ is born. The camera lingers on his face as he kneels in awe, his physical and emotional pain giving way to a profound sense of peace. This scene, accompanied by a tender musical score, encapsulates the episode's central message of hope and redemption. The editing in this final sequence is particularly well-executed, as it intercuts the shepherd's journey with the reactions of the townspeople, building a sense of anticipation before the climactic reveal of the newborn Savior.

In conclusion, "The Shepherd" is a beautifully crafted episode that sets the tone for The Chosen series by focusing on personal transformation and divine grace. While the pacing may feel slow to some, the attention to detail, strong performances, and powerful thematic elements make it a deeply moving piece of storytelling. The episode's emphasis on the humble and overlooked characters of the nativity story serves as a reminder of the inclusivity of Christ's message, and it resonates emotionally with both the devout and casual viewers. Overall, "The Shepherd" successfully captures the essence of faith, making it a fitting introduction to the world of The Chosen.

Me and my seven year old anticipate watching every episode . I'm so thankful .

A precious gift, telling, in simple, impressive manner, the story who you know. The episode gives the emotion, in fair, precise manner. And that does it just special. Because it is the perspective of kind, persecuted - by Phariseis and by his mates, cured by is problem poor shepard. A film reminding the essence of story, in the fair way.

After having had dismal box-office results from directing a previous Hollywood faith-based 2015-2016 film production called "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone", Director Dallas Jenkins, was thinking that there might probably be no future career for him in film directing. He later recounts the moment of change came in his life when a FaceBook pastor friend of his messaged him with the following message: "It is not your job to feed the 5000, your job is just to bring the five loaves and 2 fishes," all of which hit a resonant chord with Jenkins. He said that at that moment he decided to leave his future career, whatever it might be or not be, to God. This moment is what Jenkins credits as the beginning of the most amazing project of his life - "The Chosen", of which this short film, "The Shepherd" is the beginning.

That summer in 2017 Dallas Jenkins, who was on his Baptist church's video production team and had been involved in producing their annual video vignettes such the "The Two Thieves" produced in 2014 for the Church's Good Friday celebration, persuaded his church to produce this short video, "The Shepherd", about a Shepherd named Simon and his involvement in the story of the birth of Jesus, for the church's annual Christmas celebration.

Filmed with a limited budget in the backyard behind a barn at a friends farm, this short film got into the hands of VidAngel productions who became excited about the potential of creating a whole TV series about the life of Jesus Christ and offered Jenkins the role of Director while their job would be to finance the series. While films and mini-series had often been produced about the life of Jesus Christ, no one had up until then created a TV series about the life of Jesus Christ. This was going to be something new and never before tried.

To add to the novelty, VidAngel proposed to do something never before achieved in order to finance the series. They suggested, much to Jenkins dismay, to crowdfund the TV series. The most any major film undertaking had ever raised up to that point through crowd funding was about $5.7 million dollars. The first season of a planned eight seasons of the series called 'The Chosen', with eight planned episodes per season, alone needed about $10 million. Jenkins believed they would be lucky to raise $800. Much to his surprise VidAngel raised the $10 million through crowdfunding with over 19,000 investors responding after having watched this short film 'The Shepherd' which was now designated as the pilot for this new TV series that would be made available through the streaming services of VidAngel.

With the funding for the first season in place, shooting began in earnest and the first eight episodes were released in 2019. All that started with this short video production, 'The Shepherd' which along with The Chosen's episodes can be viewed through a mobile phone app found online and which also has the capability of streaming it to your home television, or through a subscription to the VidAngel streaming services. Additionally, in the spring of 2020, this pilot as well as season one can now be found on The Chosen's YouTube channel where Director Dallas Jenkins is the driving force behind a another round of the crowd funding operation to finance season two of The Chosen - and as of this review has already raised over $2.8 million from over 165,000 people worldwide for the first three episodes of the second season. This phenomenon of crowd funding a TV series about the life of Jesus and his chosen followers has never been attempted before and has been amazingly successful setting never before achieved records in the film industry. As Jenkins can be quoted saying, the defining moment in this project came when he realized that it was not his job to feed the 5,000 but only to bring the five loaves and two fishes and then to leave the rest in God's hands and it seems that God has blessed this project abundantly.

So what makes 'The Shepherd' and its subsequent series so special? It is the focus on the humanity of the both Jesus and the people involved in the Jesus' story, his chosen followers - bringing to the screen as Jenkins says - real people with real problems and real quirks that get caught up in the greatest story ever told. Fans worldwide have wept at the story of the Shepherd boy in this pilot short film as well as in the first eight episodes of The Chosen as they relate to the challenges and feelings of the main characters caught up in the Jesus story.

Having talked about the background and subsequent impact that this pilot short film called 'The Shepherd' has had on the changing world of TV production, it is now time to let the viewer watch and see for themselves what has made this short film so beloved and ultimately has given this film its historical merit.

The acting doesn't impress, the story seems made up and unnatural. The context wouldn't matter to a viewer unfamiliar with it. So, this really is quite disappointing, a show that is rated so high beginning on such a mediocre tone. And it's nothing against the themes of the show, rather it doesn't manage to make anything realistic or real out of it. This first episode at least reminds me of Jesus plays you would used to see in school to teach you about these stories. They were always told very eurocentrically, and weren't concerned with the revolutionary Spirit of Jesus, his love or keeping details realistic. This show didn't surprise, usually shows that feature any divisive topic are review bombed in some way on IMDb. But I'd have hoped it wasn't the case for this show. Because I would love to see a show spread the love of Jesus in an authentic and open way that could convey a divine message.