Illustrated Summary of The Chosen: Season 2, Episode 3: Matthew 4:24

 

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This episode is titled Matthew 4:24, which tells us that Jesus's "fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and He healed them." The whole episode was filmed in one take from twilight to dark, giving us a good idea of what an experience like that was like for those assisting Jesus. It opens with a long line of people waiting to see Jesus. Matthew and Philip are walking together near them. Matthew is eager to know what biblical passage Philip thinks he should begin studying. Philip suggests the Psalms of David, pausing to thank people in the crowd for being patient. Matthew all the while is taking notes on how many people are present, stopping to ask occasionally who was healed of what.

Psalm 139:8 is what Philip first quotes to the eager notetaker: "If I ascend to heaven, You are there. If I make my bed deep in the depths [in Sheol], You are there." Matthew wonders out loud how practical that really is. Philip replies, "That is what I know and is what you must come to believe if you want to make any meaningful study of Torah. There is nowhere you can go, no heights you can climb to in your intellectual mind, no depths you can reach in your soul where God is not with you. Do you get it?" Matthew smiles and says, "I think so." Philip continues, "No amount of learning can bring you closer to God or make you more or less precious to Him. He's always right here, right now—with you and for you!" Matthew confesses, "But I don't always feel it." Philip says, "The feeling doesn't always come first. Sometimes you have to believe first." Matthew observes, and Philip agrees, that believing a thing does not make it true. The crucial point, however, "is that these aren't just any words: they are David's in Scripture," says Philip. The two speak briefly with someone who was just healed; he gives them each a big hug when he learns they are Jesus's students. Philip concludes their discussion, saying, "The trying is the thing. Meditate on it for a few days and come back to me. Try writing it down several times. Something about writing it down goes a long way." Matthew eagerly agrees.

Matthew shares Scripture with Mary and Ramah.

Philip walks away into the disciples' inner camp, calling Thaddeus and Little James that it is their turn to serve. The disciples  have been working in shifts all day, except for the new disciple Nathanael, whom Philip says wants to keep working. When Matthew wanders into the camp, Mary Magdalene and Ramah hurry toward him, asking if he has a Scripture passage from Philip. He eagerly shares Psalm 139:8 with them. Big James and John also come into the camp with firewood, talking together about a cut James got while pushing back someone who was rushing the line. Philip, overhearing, comments that Jesus later healed the wife of that same man. James says, "It's great what He's doing obviously, but I wish it would have happened tomorrow." That prompts Thomas to ask, "What are we a part of?" Big James responds, "Would it be wrong to say I have no idea?" Thomas says, "No, it makes me feel better!" Ramah adds, "I think that I haven't had time to think about it. I know that my parents hate it." Thomas wonders out loud about the fame from all of this. John laughs, saying, "I wouldn't mind being famous!" His brother quips, "I'm not surprised."

Jesus's disciples contemplate fame.

The group is now in a big circle around a campfire. Daylight is fading fast. Philip tells them that fame is not as much fun as they might think. John starts talking about his Messianic hopes from childhood, saying "I prayed and prayed that the Messiah would come during this time, and I hoped that I would at least get to see Him. But to be close to Him like this? A nobody like me, I—what's not fun about that!" Big James complains, "You call today fun?" Philip says, "Maybe not fun, but good. But with this fame comes enemies. You will be hated, too." Matthew responds that he's used to that, but Philip reminds him that he was protected when he was a tax collector, and that his enemies weren't powerful. "Speaking of enemies," says Big James, "if someone had told you growing up that you would be a student of the Messiah, that you would be close to Him and help Him in His mission, what would you have thought?" Thomas says his first thought would be, "I don't have military training." Big James agrees with that line of thinking, saying, "When I was a child, I used to think how amazing it would be to see Messiah kill all the Romans on my street, and I wanted to help Him, so I trained with a wooden sword." Ramah adds that she would imagine hiding in her bed from the Romans, ready to defend herself with a knife, but then Messiah would rescue her at the last moment.

Talking about Messianic expectations.

Big James says with disappointment in his voice, "I didn't think we'd spend our time healing—well, watching Him heal." He gloomily fears the people will never stop coming and they'll spend the next 5 years doing this without getting to the fighting part. Philip gently challenges this thinking, saying, "Eager to bring out that wooden sword of yours, are you?" Mary Magdalene humbly remarks, "I guess I haven't had any expectations. That's probably why it's a little easier for me. I only remember hearing someone would save us someday. Why is it you expect a warrior?" Thomas quotes from Zechariah 14: "For I will gather the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east—" 

Philip interrupts, saying, "Yes, the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, but we don't even know when this is going to be, if it's even in this lifetime." John adds, "Here's also what I do not understand: Isn't the Messiah supposed to come at a time when all is holy?" Ramah wants to know where that idea comes from. Big James answers, "With a prophetic poem written by the rabbis not so long ago: 'And there shall be no unrighteousness in them on his [Messiah's] day, for they shall all be holy, and their king shall be the Lord Messiah.'" (Not a biblical source, so not reliable for identifying the Messiah by God-given prophecy.) Philip quips, "I guess that's why the Pharisees do not think Jesus is the one: you have to help clean out the Red Quarter first!" Many laugh, but Mary Magdalene profoundly states, "I don't think He's waiting for us to be holy. I think He's here because we can't be holy without Him." Philip gives voice to the reflective silence that begins: "Whoa, that's good! The Baptizer will want to use that."

Little James hurries breathlessly to the group and says, "Big James, they need you to help with crowd control. People are bickering and getting physical, and I can't help much in that department." As Big James goes away to help, Little James returns to a board game he was playing with Thomas, who rejoins him. Thomas fills him in on some of the campfire conversation. Little James says, "Well, I'm not sorry I missed it." He sighs with exasperation, adding, "I'm ready for this day to be over! One thing that's annoying me is these people are believing in Him and praising Him—don't get me wrong; that's great—but it's because He's healing them, unlike the Samaritans. I don't know how many would believe in Him if He wasn't healing them." Thomas listens patiently and then ventures to say, "So I have to ask..." Little James responds in an encouraging voice, "I think I can guess." Thomas says, "Forgive me, but I speak plainly. What is your malady? Forgive me, I don't mean to offend." James says, "It's fine. It's a form of paralysis that's caused problems since birth." Thomas wonders, "Why hasn't Jesus healed you? How do you watch all these healings today—does it bother you?" James says, "Those are fair questions. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about all of this. I suppose one big thing is I haven't asked." Thomas wants to know why not. James confesses, "I don't know." Thomas says, "If I had your struggle, and I was watching what was happening today, I'd demand it." James immediately responds, "I don't know if I should. It doesn't feel right. I suppose I'm just grateful He called me to follow Him in spite of it, but it's never come up—not even once. I'm afraid that if I mention it to Him, it will make Him change His mind about me." Thomas laughs gently, saying, "I'm pretty sure He knows your situation. It's not like if you pointed it out to Him He would be surprised." James laughs too and agrees.

Little James and Thomas have an important conversation about when healing doesn't happen.

Jesus's mother, Mary, now walks into the camp, to the delight of the others. They walk over to greet her. Matthew is new to her. Mary says something complimentary about his clothing, and he thanks her awkwardly. She asks, "So what do you do?" He answers, "I don't. I was a—" but Mary Magdalene graciously states, "He's a new student. Jesus called him." Mother Mary says, "Lovely! I'm sure you're someone special. So was today a very long day? I saw a lot of people. Do we know when Jesus will be finished?" When being told they have been there since early morning and He has been working nonstop all day, she remarks, "He has always been a worker. He gets that from His father—both of them, I suppose?" Mary proves to be the same, for she sees the food and immediately sets to work preparing it to serve to her tired friends.

The disciples are delighted to see Jesus's mother, Mary, join them.

Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene prepare the evening meal.

Simon and the others get ready to eat.

We see almost almost all the disciples filter in, preparing to eat with the others. They look exhausted. After the meal, in a circle around the campfire, Simon says to his brother, "Andrew, I need a mental break. Do one of your 'meaningless question' games." Andrew states, "They're not meaningless; they're interesting, and I've got one I've been thinking about lately: What would you do for unlimited money? Or what would you give up to have all the money you could ever want for the rest of your life?" Big James wants clarification: "Do you mean would I do something painful?" Andrew says, "Yes—or crazy. Would you run through the marketplace with no clothes on, screaming?" Thomas answers, "Of course not! I'd be killed by a soldier." Big James adds, "Plus it would be immodest: it would be a sin." Simon says, "Fine, something that wasn't a sin. Would you give up your left hand if you could be rich the rest of your life?" Big James answers that he would be willing to give up a few fingers. Andrew says, "What about love? Would you give up ever getting married?" Mother Mary says, "I have never had much money my whole life, and I've been happy." Thomas says, "I don't expect we'll have much money for as long as we're following Him." She observes that he looks like he had money before and asks if he was happier then or now.

Andrew's Conversation Starter

James and John think about what they would do for money.

Mother Mary gets them thinking about happiness.

The conversation takes a sour turn when John says to ask Matthew about money. Matthew humbly answers, "I feel better now. I don't know if that means happy." The attention mercifully draws away from him when Andrew confesses to feeling guilty for thinking too much about money and wanting things he shouldn't care about. He feels like he needs to live up to the heroes of the faith and do something great, but he knows he's not great. "I know it now even more being with Him," says Andrew. "I understand what you mean," says Ramah. "I feel like I need to not make any more mistakes." Mother Mary says gently, "How do you think I felt?" Andrew wonders out loud if she feels like that every day, but Mary says, "Not anymore. Jesus always reassured me, and God always made me feel like I shouldn't be burdened."

Mary Magdalene asks, "How did you feel when it happened—His birth and even before that? How did you know, when did you know who He was?" Mother Mary meekly states, "We're all tired. Do you really want to hear all that?" Everyone gives an enthusiastic yes. With that encouragement Mary proceeds: "Nothing about it was easy. I can tell you that. It wasn't in my hometown, my mother wasn't there, we had no midwife. I'm not ready to give all the details, but I do remember this: when Joseph handed Him to me, it was like nothing I expected. It was like everything I'd heard about having a baby, but I thought this would be completely different. I had to clean Him off—I will be polite; He needed to be cleaned. And He was cold, and He was crying. He needed my help—my help, a teenager from Nazareth! It actually made me think for just one moment, Is this really the Son of God? And Joseph later told me he briefly thought the same thing. But we knew He was. I don't know what I expected, but He was crying and He needed me. I wondered how long that would last. He doesn't need me anymore, not since we taught Him how to walk and eat. He hasn't needed me for a long time, I suppose. And after Joseph passed—may he rest in peace—Jesus grew up even quicker. I wish I could say that made me happy. Of course, as a Jew, I'm excited to see everything He does for our people, and I'm proud of Him. But as a mom, it makes me a little sad sometimes. So it's good to be with all of you for a little bit. I can find ways to help." Ramah says with a hand clasp, "We'll take it!"

Mother Mary is asked questions everyone is eager to hear her answer.

Mother Mary asks Simon if he has any idea how much longer today's healing ministry will last. He says the line was dying down when he left, but since Jesus won't send anyone away, they'll have to wait and see. Mary leaves to check. Thomas says, "I didn't know He lost His father. I'll have to ask Him about that." Mary Magdalene talks a little about losing her father as a little girl, saying, "I didn't fully understand it right away, but eventually it made me really angry. I left everything when I was young. I tried to stop acting like a Jew. I tried to stop being myself, and then later worse things happened. Most of it is a blur, but I forgot so much of everything I learned as a little girl." Big James says encouragingly, "But now you can catch up." "Yes, I hope, with Matthew and Ramah," says Mary. "You all are so far ahead, and you're all so good at all of this." Some admit to not knowing as much as she thinks.

Thomas is moved by what he learns.

Thaddaeus walks in and flop down, saying the others are finishing up. Mary Magdalene says, "I really want to be a good student." Andrew says, "I don't think any of us went to bet midrash or did much study after school. That's what's so surprising about all this." Thomas admits to not being much of a student before he graduated to serve in the family business at age 13. Thaddaeus says, "I wasn't even good at praying until recently. I would get bored with it. You know, the same thing over and over. I learned to love it as I got older." Some in the group admit to not liking the rules, while others say they like the comfort of having rules to follow. Big James says, "I've always loved the history, the stories, so I've always loved the rules, too." Thomas admits to one time eating meat with cheese (not a biblical rule); Thaddaeus admits to once eating pork (which was a biblical rule back then). 

Thaddaeus joins the conversation.

Thomas says, "I've grown to love being Jewish and following the Law, but sometime it's exhausting." The group discusses how it's hard to do both, even before the Roman occupation. Mary Magdalene says, "Yes, but aren't we used to it by now? Hasn't it made us stronger?" Thomas admits, "I don't get it if I'm honest. I don't know why God has allowed the occupation. I'll have to ask Jesus more about that, why this has been allowed for so long. It's hard to feel like 'the chosen people.'" Simon admits he has felt like that. "But it's all worth it now, yes? The wait is over," says Ramah.

Simon begins to verbally attack Matthew.

Simon looks over at Matthew, whose eyes are cast to the ground, and says in a sarcastic tone, "What about you? Has it been difficult for you all this time—the occupation, following Jewish Law?" Matthew responds defensively, "My life has not been easy." Simon scoffs, "Oh really? What was more difficult for you: escaping Roman persecution by working for them, or escaping your guilt with all the money? And now you're catching up on Torah and wanting to follow the Law? Why now all of the sudden? Why not all the other times when you had the chance?" John tries to curb Simon's hostility, but Simon persists. "What do you want me to say?" asks Matthew. "I don't know what you want from me." Andrew wants an apology, saying, "Simon's not wrong. He could be more delicate about it, but you did choose to work for them, and you made my life even harder than it already was."

Simon's anger explodes.

When it looks like Matthew might speak up, Simon says forcefully, "I don't want you to apologize. I won't forgive it anyway." John, now angry, demands to know what puts Simon in authority to forgive or not to forgive, and reminds Simon of his past sins. Simon gives excuses, and now Thomas demands to know what Matthew's excuse is, saying, "I was a successful businessman and yet I was always behind." John observes fairly that Matthew wasn't Thomas's tax collector, but Thomas persists, saying, "I want an answer!" Big James fractures the group further, saying to Thomas, "Hey, you're new!" Simon stands up and renews his attack on Matthew: "Do you even know what it's like to be Jewish—to suffer for centuries and centuries because of it, but to still commit to it? To protect our heritage even though it never stops being painful because the one comfort we have is to know that we're doing it together. We're all suffering together, but if we just wait a little longer, we'll have rescue because we're chosen. And you betrayed that and spit on it! I can't forgive it; I'll never forgive it!" Big James shouts, "All right! You've said what you needed to say. Sit down, Simon!" He refuses and others arise angrily on their feet, glaring at one another.

Mother Mary had quietly drifted in, overhearing this tense conversation and obviously grieved by it. Now Jesus slowly walks in on very tired feet, His breathing labored. He simply says goodnight and waves as He passes by, but practically stumbles as He tries to take off His cloak by His tent. Everyone stares at Him, but Mother Mary moves swiftly to assist Him. He says, "Oh Eema, thank you." She gently takes off His sandals, which is obviously painful for Him because of how long He has been on His feet. Now she bathes each foot. Then she observes, "You've got blood on Your hands," and washes them. Moving to His forehead, she says, "One more. There we go." Jesus says with a chuckle, "I'm a mess! Good?" "Good," says Mary. He kisses her and says, "What would I do without you, Eema?" She encourages Him to get some sleep. "Okay," He says. "I'm so tired." As He lies down with shuddered breaths, she draws the curtain and we hear Him blessing His Father in a bedtime prayer. Everyone at the campfire watches and listens in silence, contemplating His devotion, contrasting that with their own and all they have yet to learn.

Watching Jesus limp by puts things into perspective.

Mother Mary ministers to Jesus after He ministered as Matthew 4:24 describes.

Jesus demonstrates His appreciation for His mother.

Illustrated Summaries of All The Chosen TV Series Episodes (Quotes, Links, and Photos)

Related posts emphasizing that Christianity is Jewish:

• Illustrated Summary of Christianity Is Jewish by Edith Schaeffer

• Illustrated Summary of Twelve Ordinary Men (the Apostles) by John MacArthur
  
• The Gospel According to God (Isaiah 53) by John MacArthur

• DANIEL+—An Illustrated Summary of Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan

• Illustrated Summary of Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis

• Trusting the Bible: Illustrated Summary of Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell and Dr. Sean McDowell

 #TheChosen #BingeJesus #SeeHimAsTheyDid #QuotesfromTheChosen

The Obstinate Toy Soldiers—Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

To be obstinate is to be stubborn, and the tendency of humankind toward God is extreme stubbornness. C.S. Lewis phrases it this way: "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.... The natural life in each of us is something self-centered, something that wants to be petted and admired, to take advantage of other lives ... and especially it wants to be left to itself: to keep well away from anything better or stronger or higher than it, anything that might make it feel small.... It knows that if the spiritual life gets hold of it, all its self-centeredness and self-will are going to be killed and it is ready to fight tooth and nail to avoid that.... Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it. He is not interested in flesh: all he sees is that the tin is being spoiled. He thinks you are killing him. He will do everything he can to prevent you."

"What you would have done about that tin soldier I do not know. But what God did about us is this: The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself ... a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular color, speaking a particular language.... The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby.... Think how you would like to become a slug or a crab. The result of this was that you now had one man who really was what all men were intended to be: one man in whom the created life ... allowed itself to be completely and perfectly turned into the begotten life.... Because the whole difficulty for us is that the natural life has to be, in a sense, 'killed,' He chose an earthly career that involved the killing of His human desires at every turn—poverty, misunderstanding from His own family, betrayal by one of His intimate friends, being jeered at and manhandled by the Police, and execution by torture. And then ... the Man in Christ rose again: not only the God. That is the whole point. For the first time we saw a real man. One tin soldier—real tin, just like the rest, had come fully and splendidly alive."

"We have not got to try to climb up into spiritual life by our own efforts; it has already come down into the human race. If we will only lay ourselves open to the one new man in whom it was fully present ... He will do it in us and for us. Remember what I said about 'good infection.' One of our own race has this new life: if we get close to Him, we shall catch it from Him. Of course, you can express this in all sorts of ... ways. You can say that Christ died for our sins. You may say that the Father has forgiven us because Christ has done for us what we ought to have done. You may say that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. You may say that Christ has defeated death. They are all true."

Highlights from Chapter 5: The Obstinate Toy Soldiers from Book 4: Beyond Personality, or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Click here for a clear view of how this chapter relates to the whole book. 

Good Infection—Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

"Imagine two books lying on a table one on top of the other.... Let us call the underneath book A and the top one B.... Now let us imagine ... that both books have been in that position forever.... B's position would always have been resulting from A's position. But ... A's position wound not have existed before B's position. In other words the result does not come after the cause. Of course, results usually do ... but it is not so with all causes and results....

"God is ... three Persons while remaining one Being," writes C.S. Lewis. "As soon as I begin trying to explain how these Persons are connected I have to use words that make it sound as if one of them was there before the others. The First Person is called the Father and the Second the Son.... 'Father' suggests that He is there first—just as a human father exists before his son. But that is not so [with God].... The Son exists because the Father exists: but there never was a time before the Father [begot] the Son.... Think of the Son always ... streaming forth from the Father, like light from a lamp, or heat from a fire, or thoughts from a mind.... But ... all these ... are making it sound as if the Father and Son were two things instead of two Persons. So then after all, the New Testament picture of a Father and a Son turns out to be much more accurate than anything we try to substitute for it. That is what always happens when you go away from the words of the Bible. It is quite all right to go away from them for a moment ... to make some special point clear. But you must always go back. Naturally God knows how to describe Himself much better than we know how to describe Him. He knows that Father and Son is more like the relation between the First and Second Persons than anything else we can think of. Much the most important thing to know is ... it is a relation of love."

"The words 'God is love' have no meaning unless God contains at least two Persons. Love is something that one person has for another person.... Christians ... believe that the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else.... What grows out of the joint life of the Father and Son is a real Person ... the Third of the three Persons who are God. This third Person is called, in technical language, the Holy [Spirit] ... of God. Do not be worried or surprised if you find ... Him rather vaguer or more shadowy in your mind than the other two.... In the Christian life you are not usually looking at Him. He is always acting through you."
 

"And now, what does it matter? It matters more than anything else in the world. The whole dance, or drama, or pattern of this three-Personal life is to be played out in each one of us.... There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made. Good things as well as bad ... are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.... They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.... The whole offer Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life that was begotten, not made, which always has existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy [Spirit] will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has—by what I call 'good infection.' Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else."

Highlights from Chapter 4: Good Infection from Book 4: Beyond Personality, or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Click here for a clear view of how this chapter relates to the whole book.

First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity—Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

"Everyone has warned me not to tell you what I am going to tell you in this last book," begins C.S. Lewis. What is supposedly the problem? "They all say, 'The ordinary reader does not want Theology; give him plain, practical religion.' I have rejected their advice. I do not think the ordinary reader is such a fool. Theology means 'the science of God,' and I think any man who wants to think about God at all would like to have the clearest and most accurate ideas about Him which are available. You are not children: why should you be treated like children?"

"If a man has ... looked at the Atlantic from the beach, and then ... looks at a map of the Atlantic, he ... will be turning from something real to something less real: turning from real waves to a bit of colored paper. But ... the map ... is  based on what hundreds and thousands of people have found out by sailing the real Atlantic.... If you want to go anywhere, the map is absolutely necessary.... Theology is like the map ... based on the experience of hundreds of people who really were in touch with God—experiences compared with which any thrills or pious feelings you and I are likely to get on our own are very elementary and confused.... A vague religion—all about feeling God in nature, and so on ... is all thrills and no work: like watching the waves from the beach. But you will not get to Newfoundland by studying the Atlantic that way, and you will not get eternal life by simply feeling the presence of God in flowers or music. Neither will you get anywhere by looking at maps without going to sea. Nor will you be very safe if you go to sea without a map. In other words, Theology is practical.... If you do not listen to Theology ... it will mean that you have a lot of wrong...muddled, out-of-date ideas.... Many of the ideas about God ... trotted out as novelties today are ... ones that real theologians tried centuries ago and rejected.

"To believe in the popular religion of modern England is retrogression—like believing the earth is flat. For when you get down to it, is not the popular idea of Christianity simply this: that Jesus Christ was a great moral teacher and that if only we took His advice we might be able to establish a better social order and avoid another war? Now, mind you, that is quite true. But it tells you much less than the whole truth about Christianity...."

"By attaching ourselves to Christ, we can 'become Sons of God.' One asks, 'Aren't we Sons of God already?'... God has brought us into existence and loves us and looks after us, and in that way is like a father. But when the Bible talks of our 'becoming' Sons of God, obviously it must mean something different.... One of the creeds says that Christ is the Son of God 'begotten, not created'; and it adds 'begotten by His Father before all worlds'.... When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies ... but when you make, you make something of a different kind from yourself. A bird makes a nest.... What God begets is God.... What God creates is not God.... That is why men are not Sons of God in the sense that Christ is.

"What man, in his natural condition, has not got is Spiritual life—the higher and different sort of life that exists in God.... The Biological sort that comes to us through Nature ... is always tending to run down and decay so that it can only be kept up by incessant subsidies ... in the form of air, water, food ... is Bios. The Spiritual life, which is in God from all eternity and which made the whole natural universe, is Zoe.... A man who changed from having Bios to Zoe would have gone through as big a change as a statue that changed from being a carved stone to being a real man. And that is precisely what Christianity is about. This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life."

 

Highlights from Chapter 1: Making and Begetting from Book 4: Beyond Personality, or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Click here for a clear view of how this chapter relates to the whole book.