The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name by Jerry B. Jenkins

Book cover of The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name shows a hand placed upon another, both resting on a table with clay cup in background

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name by Jerry B. Jenkins
Series: Book One in The Chosen Series
Publisher: Broadstreet Publishing Group, LLC on October 4, 2022

REVIEW BY MAE CLAIR

If you are unfamiliar with The Chosen, you’re missing out on a phenomena that is sweeping the globe. A crowd-funded series based on the gospels, The Chosen currently has three televised seasons available for free viewing (out of a planned seven). To learn more, visit The Chosen website HERE.

This novel is a companion to the first season of the series. I picked up the book after being swept away by the televised version, and love that this follows the series so faithfully—scene-by-scene, dialogue-for-dialogue. At the same time, it provides glimpses into quieter moments and character thoughts that may not have been so prominent in the series.

Against the Roman occupation of Israel, and the political machinations of the Pharisees, Jesus begins his ministry. As the story grows, we see him interacting with children, calling his first followers, and performing his first miracles. What truly stands out for me and marks this book (and the series) as extraordinary is the humanity of Jesus. We see the Lord using wood-on-wood kindling to start a fire, dressing an arm wound, laughing with children, drinking and dancing at the wedding in Cana. This is a Jesus who is wholly human while wholly God.

Because this is an ongoing series, nothing is rushed. In this, the first book, those who are called to follow Jesus include Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, James and John, Thomas, and Matthew, the tax collector. Matthew’s story is particularly strong. As a tax collector, he is hated by his own people, even ostracized by the other disciples, but Jesus sees into his heart.

Just before Jesus slips out of sight, he stops and turns to face Matthew. The teacher seems to look at him with such compassion, Matthew cannot move. And Jesus leaves with the hint of a smile.

Jerry B. Jenkins, The Chosen Book 1, I Have Called You by Name

With short chapters, polished writing, and a thoroughly compelling presentation of the gospels, this is a candid look at Jesus as you’ve never seen him. I eagerly anticipate reading all the books in this series of novels, just as I do following the televised chapters.

I give The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name five fabulous fish

composite image of five drawn fish from the British Museum on unsplash

I purchased the Kindle version of The Chosen: I Have Called You by Name

45 thoughts on “The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name by Jerry B. Jenkins”

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  1. Oh Mae, this sounds fantastic! The televised series is good, but books tend to stay with me longer. (“The book was better” thing.) Even your pull-quote made me emotional. Excellent review!

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    1. Thanks, Vera. It’s amazing how God is using The Chosen ministry to touch so many lives. The book is exceptional. And I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the series. I’m up to episode two of season three, and am blown away each time I watch an episode. I’ve loved following along with the books.

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    1. The series is absolutely fabulous, Joan! It’s touching so many lives, changing hearts, leading people to the Lord, and rekindling faith in others. I highly recommend it. The books are wonderful companions. I loved reading this!

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    1. Teri, the series is absolutely extraordinary. I’ve never been so touched by a retelling of the gospels. The books make wonderful campanions. I’m almost glad I saw the series first before reading them. Now everything plays out on that movie screen in my mind, LOL!

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    1. Hi, Carla. I am so glad you’re watching the series. For the record, I thought the first two eps were just a tad slow, but by the third one I was glued to the screen. You are going to love it! That series/minstry is touching so many lives, and the books are an extension of that.

      There are two books out so far and I’ve read each. They closely follow the series, but I found that an enrichment to viewing. Thanks for visiting to comment, and I wish you happy viewing (and happy reading! 🙂

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  7. Thanks, Mae, for your heartfelt book review. My wife and I love The Chosen series, marrying the timeless Bible stories with today’s technology. I’ve reread the Left Behind series a few times. Now I want to see how Jerry B. Jenkins treats the TV script, so artfully directed by his son, Dallas Jenkins.

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    1. Grant, I am having a palm/forehead moment! I never realized that Dallas was Jerry’s son. Oh my word! That’s fabulous to know.

      I love the series and the ministry that Dallas and all those involved are spreading. I read all of the Left Behind books (except the last three) in print when they were originally released. Recently, I purchased the entire series in Kindle format to read from start to finish. I still have it waitng for me.

      Jerry has done an excellent job translating the series to books. He uses a present tense POV which makes everything feel more immediate. I wish you happy reading. And thanks again for that mini-bombshell you dropped on me, LOL! I don’t know why I didn’t make the connection earlier.

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      1. I have a fond memory of feedback from Jerry B. Jenkins after he critiqued one of my past works in progress. Too funny, but that’s a story for another time. Cheers!

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  8. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ve been looking for another morning devotional. After reading your review, I’ve grabbed the Kindle version. Looking forward to reading it along with my Scripture in the morning.

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    1. Hi, Cecilia. I’m so glad you’ve picked up the Kindle copy. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book after you’ve read it. Jenkins faithfully follows the televised series, but there are moments and dialgue I missed while watching the show.

      Morning is my time also for devotionals, prayer, scripture. Wishing you a blessed day!

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    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed the series, Jacqui. Isn’t it amazing? It must have been fun watching with your sister, too.

      I read the book of The Jesus Revolution and just got the DVD from Amazon yesterday. I can’t wait to watch the movie!

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    1. Hi, Angela. I’m so glad the book appeals to you and that you’ve scoped out others on the blog. Our goal is to bring great Christian fiction to others. Thank you for visiting and commenting. Please come back again. We post reviews every Wednesday. I wish you happy reading!

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  14. Love this review, Mae, and plan to read this series soon. I’ve seen the promos on TV and have mentioned to Mark that it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a movie or show wherein Jesus looked so human. Somehow, even in the tv ads, his “approachableness” (how’s that for a made-up word?) makes him seem even more Holy. I don’t know if that makes sense, but if I watched tv these days, I’d definitely have been following the series. Instead, I’ll read the books.

    Thanks for the outstanding review! ❤️🤗❤️

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    1. Approachableness is a great word to describe how Jesus appears in this series, Marcia. The ads are what first drew me to the series, too, and then–wow! It’s just mesmerizing.

      The books follow the series scene-by-scene, almost dialogue by dialogue, so you’ll get the full impact. Should you decide to give the televised series a try, you can also watch it on your computer. The series is crowdfunded, so the people behind it have made it available at no cost to reach the greatest number of people. They even apps for iPhones and Android devices!

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      1. Good to know, Mae. I don’t watch movies or tv much these days, mostly because my hearing is so bad and closed-captioning is usually lousy. But I just might give this one a go. I was very impressed with the tv promos. Either way, I do plan to read the book. Thanks again for such a great review. 😊

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    1. Hi Helena. I’m so glad you stopped by to check out the review. I also love anything that has to do with the gospels, and this beautifully written book truly struck home. I wish you happy reading should you pick up the book.

      Thank you for visiting, and I hope you’ll stop by again. We post new reviews every Wednesday on The Well Read Fish!

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    1. Hi, Robbie. I didn’t even realize that, but it makes perfect sense given how closely the book follows the series, scene-by-scene, and action, also right down to the dialogue!

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