Films & Series
The Bible behind films and series about Jesus
From the classic Hollywood epics to new series: for each film or series we list the facts, where to watch it in the United States, its scenes next to the Bible passages and what the film adds. We do not rate the films; we show what is in the Bible.
Films and series
Films
Film · 2004The Passion of the ChristMel Gibson's film follows Jesus from the agony in the garden to his death on the cross, with flashbacks to earlier moments such as the Last Supper and a brief final scene of the Resurrection. The dialogue is in Aramaic and Latin with subtitles. Some details come from later devotional tradition, like Veronica's veil, and Satan appears as a figure in scenes where the Gospels do not mention him.Scenes and Bible references →Film · 2006The Nativity StoryCatherine Hardwicke's film tells the Christmas story from Zechariah and the angel to the flight into Egypt, with Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary and Oscar Isaac as Joseph. It weaves Matthew and Luke together and fills the gaps with scenes from apocryphal tradition and its own imagination.Scenes and Bible references →Film · 2014Son of GodA feature film drawn from Roma Downey and Mark Burnett's TV miniseries The Bible (2013), following Jesus from his birth to the Ascension, with Diogo Morgado in the title role. The apostle John, in exile on Patmos, frames the story with the opening words of his Gospel.Scenes and Bible references →Film · 2016RisenRisen tells the days after the crucifixion through the eyes of a fictional Roman tribune, Clavius, whom Pilate sets to find out what happened to the body of Jesus. The search leads him to the apostles and to the risen Jesus himself, in the upper room and at the Sea of Galilee.Scenes and Bible references →Animated film · 2025The King of KingsAn animated film in which Charles Dickens tells his young son Walter the story of Jesus, based on Dickens's The Life of Our Lord. Walter and his cat follow the events from the manger to the Resurrection; Oscar Isaac voices Jesus and Kenneth Branagh voices Dickens.Scenes and Bible references →
Series
Coming soon
Compare
Same scene, different screens
Which Gospel scenes does each series or film show, and what does it add? Pick two to four productions; under each scene you find the Bible reference (NABRE).
| The Chosenseries, 2017– | The Passionfilm, 2004 | Jesus of Nazarethminiseries, 1977 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth and childhood | |||
| The Annunciation to Mary | – | – | Shown: Lk 1:26–38 |
| The birth of Jesus | – | – | Shown: Mt 1:18–25; Lk 2:1–7 |
| The magi from the east | – | – | Shown: Mt 2:1–12 |
| Flight to Egypt and the massacre of the infants | – | – | Shown: Mt 2:13–18 |
| The boy Jesus in the temple | – | – | Shown: Lk 2:41–52 |
| Baptism and first disciples | |||
| John the Baptist's preaching | S1 E5: Jn 1:19–28 | – | Shown: Mk 1:2–8; Mk 6:20 |
| The baptism of Jesus | – | – | Shown: Mt 3:13–17 |
| The first disciples | S1 E4 · S2 E2: Lk 5:1–11; Jn 1:45–51 | – | – |
| The wedding at Cana | S1 E5: Jn 2:1–11 | – | – |
| Nicodemus comes at night | S1 E7: Jn 3:1–21 | – | – |
| The Samaritan woman at the well | S1 E8: Jn 4:1–42 | – | – |
| Public ministry | |||
| Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth | S3 E3: Lk 4:16–30 | – | – |
| The cleansing of a leper | S1 E6: Lk 5:12–16 | – | – |
| The healing of a paralytic | S1 E6: Mk 2:1–12; Lk 5:17–26 | – | – |
| The call of Matthew (Levi) | S1 E7: Mt 9:9 | – | Shown: Mt 9:9–13 |
| The Sermon on the Mount | S3 E1: Mt 5:1–7:29 | Flashback: Mt 5:1–7:29 | In part: Mt 6:25–34 |
| The centurion's servant | S4 E4: Mt 8:5–13; Lk 7:1–10 | – | – |
| The sinful woman at the Pharisee's house | – | – | Shown: Lk 7:36–50 |
| The women who follow Jesus | S1 E1: Lk 8:1–3; Mk 16:9 | – | – |
| Jairus's daughter and the woman who touches his cloak | S3 E5: Mk 5:21–43; Lk 8:40–56 | – | Shown: Mk 5:21–43 |
| The mission of the Twelve | S3 E2 · S3 E4: Mk 6:7–13, 30; Mt 10:1–15 | – | – |
| The death of John the Baptist | S4 E1: Mk 6:17–29 | – | – |
| The feeding of the five thousand | S3 E8: Mt 14:13–21; Jn 6:1–15 | – | – |
| Jesus walks on the water | S3 E8: Mt 14:22–33 | – | – |
| Peter's confession | S4 E2: Mt 16:13–20 | – | Shown: Mt 16:13–20 |
| The healing at the pool of Bethesda | S2 E4: Jn 5:1–9 | – | – |
| The woman caught in adultery | – | Flashback: Jn 8:1–11 | – |
| The man born blind | S4 E3: Jn 9:1–41 | – | – |
| On the way to Jerusalem | |||
| The parable of the prodigal son | – | – | At Matthew's feast: Lk 15:11–32 |
| The rich young man | – | – | Shown: Mt 19:16–22 |
| At the feast of the Dedication | S4 E6: Jn 10:22–39 | – | – |
| The raising of Lazarus | S4 E7: Jn 11:1–53 | – | Shown: Jn 11:1–44 |
| The anointing at Bethany | S4 E8: Jn 12:1–8 | – | – |
| In Jerusalem | |||
| The entry into Jerusalem | S5 E1: Mt 21:1–11; Lk 19:28–44 | Flashback: Jn 12:12–13 | – |
| The cleansing of the temple | S5 E2: Mk 11:15–18; Mt 21:12–13 | – | – |
| Paying taxes to Caesar | S5 E3: Mt 22:15–22 | – | – |
| Passion and death | |||
| Judas agrees to hand Jesus over | S5 E4 · S5 E6: Lk 22:3–6; Mt 26:14–16 | – | Reimagined: Mt 26:14–16 |
| The Last Supper | S5 E6 · S5 E7: Mk 14:12–25; Lk 22:14–23 | Flashbacks: Lk 22:14–20; Mt 26:33–35 | Shown: Mt 26:26–30 |
| The agony in the garden | S5 E8: Mk 14:26–42 | Opening scene: Lk 22:39–46; Mk 14:32–42 | – |
| The arrest | – | Shown: Mk 14:43–52 | – |
| Jesus before the Sanhedrin | – | Shown: Mk 14:53–65 | Reimagined: Mt 26:57–68 |
| Peter's denial | – | Shown: Mt 26:69–75 | – |
| The death of Judas | – | Shown: Mt 27:3–10 | – |
| Jesus before Pilate | – | Shown: Jn 18:28–38 | Shown: Jn 18:28–38 |
| Jesus before Herod | – | Shown: Lk 23:6–12 | – |
| Barabbas and the death sentence | – | Shown: Mt 27:15–26 | Shown: Mt 27:15–26 |
| The scourging and the crown of thorns | – | Shown at length: Jn 19:1–3; Mk 15:15–20 | – |
| The way to Golgotha | – | Shown: Lk 23:26–32 | Without Simon: Jn 19:16–17 |
| The crucifixion | – | Shown: Lk 23:33–43; Jn 19:25–27 | Shown: Mt 27:33–44 |
| The death of Jesus | – | Shown: Mt 27:50–54; Jn 19:34 | – |
| The burial | – | Shown: Jn 19:38–42 | – |
| Easter | |||
| The guard at the tomb | – | – | Shown: Mt 27:62–66 |
| The Resurrection | – | Final scene: cf. Mt 28:1–7 | – |
| The empty tomb | – | – | Shown: Jn 20:1–10 |
All sources for this comparison (23)
- The Chosen, official website: season 2 (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- The Chosen, official website: season 3 (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- The Chosen, official website: season 4 (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- The Chosen, official website: season 5 (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Prime Video: The Chosen, season 1 (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Apple TV: The Chosen (episode titles and synopses) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- New American Bible, Revised Edition (USCCB): Bible references (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Decent Films, Steven D. Greydanus: Jesus of Nazareth (1977), review (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Decent Films, Steven D. Greydanus: Jesus movies and antisemitism: Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion of the Christ (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: Jesus of Nazareth, film review (PDF) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: The Passion of the Christ, film review (PDF) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Decent Films, Steven D. Greydanus: The Passion of the Christ: First Impressions (2004) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Decent Films, Steven D. Greydanus: Understanding the Catholic Meaning of The Passion of the Christ (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Catholic News Agency: Jesus in the garden is most important scene in 'Passion,' says bishop, March 11, 2004 (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Wikipedia: The Passion of the Christ, plot summary (used only where no Catholic or trade source describes the scene) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Catholic Exchange, Timothy Wheeler: review of The Nativity Story, December 1, 2006 (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Catholic News Service, John Mulderig: Movie review: Son of God, February 28, 2014 (via Today's Catholic) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- National Catholic Register / CNA: Catholic Leaders Praise 'Son of God' Movie, February 18, 2014 (checked on October 21, 2026)
- Apple TV: Son of God (checked on October 21, 2026)
- National Catholic Register, Steven D. Greydanus: SDG Reviews 'Risen', February 19, 2016 (checked on October 21, 2026)
- OSV News, John Mulderig: Movie review: The King of Kings, April 22, 2025 (via Catholic Review) (checked on October 21, 2026)
- National Catholic Register, Kathy Schiffer: Animation Brings Dickens-Inspired 'The King of Kings' to Life on the Big Screen, April 11, 2025 (checked on October 21, 2026)
- BBFC: The King of Kings (2025), classification and content advice (checked on October 21, 2026)
How we work
The Bible and the film side by side
- For every scene we name the Bible passages, in the New American Bible, Revised Edition.
- “What the film adds” shows what is not in the Gospels: new characters, dialogue, order of events.
- Facts about a production come from the studios, the platforms and the trade press, each with a source.
Independent
No clips, no stills
Bible Behind the Screen is independent and not affiliated with any studio or distributor. We describe films in our own words; we show no clips, stills, posters, logos or photos of actors, and we link to the official offers.
An independent site about the Bible behind movies and shows · not affiliated with any studio or distributor · Bible references from the NABRE · YouTube @biblebehindthescreen