The Chosen and Friends: God With UsSample

I Have Called You By Name
From Come and See

Reflecting on the power of names, Frederick Buechner writes, “When I tell you my name, I have given you a hold over me that you didn’t have before. If you call it out, I stop, look, and listen—whether I want to or not.” He’s right, of course. And this is all well and good most of the time. But what about when you’ve been given, say, a nickname? They’re often harmless, but they’re also often not. And what about when a name’s bled away altogether, and you’ve been reduced to mere labels?

Little is knownabout Mary Magdalene, but one detail is startling: she’d once been possessed by seven demons.The creators of The Chosenplausibly imaginethe townspeople sneeringly calling her “Lilith,” a name associated with the demonic in ancient literature. And this new name inches her closer to being robbed of a name altogether, leaving just labels: Troubled. Sick. Cursed. Evil.

The scene you watched opens with “Lilith” slumped in a bar—looking to drink to forget—before Jesus appears and insistsherway of life is no way to live.And when she rushes away, one word stops her dead in her tracks:Mary.Jesus calls her by her true name, and when she stops,looks, and listens, he calls out the opening words of Isaiah 43. He calls her to her deepest and truest identity. She is Jacob. She is Israel. She is a child of God. And if there are any labels to be had, they’re these: Loved. Called.Redeemed. His.

No chasm exists between Mary and you in at least two ways: you both have been called by painful names, and neither of you are what you’ve been called. You hold a name that is greater than any other name that’s been given you, including the one you were given at birth. The moment shared between Mary and the Son reveals that you are a son or a daughter of the Father. That is who you are.

About The Author
Come and See is a faith-based nonprofit that exists to share the authentic Jesus with at least one billion people worldwide. Because of the generosity of supporters around the world, Come and See is able to ensure that all seven seasons of “The Chosen” are produced, translated into 600 languages, made globally accessible, and free to all. Learn more at comeandsee.net.