S3 Ep. 1: Homecoming

The episode opens with the conclusion of Jesus's powerful Sermon on the Mount. Immediately after this spiritual high point, Jesus disperses the crowd and is largely absent for the rest of the episode. The focus then shifts entirely to the disciples as they come down from the mountain and crash back into the messy reality of their lives.

The disciples quickly scatter to deal with their own personal issues and anxieties. Andrew is consumed with worry over the recent arrest of his former teacher, John the Baptist. In one of the episode's most emotional storylines, Matthew attempts to reconcile with his parents, but his father, Alphaeus, painfully rejects him, highlighting the deep family divisions that following Jesus can cause.

Meanwhile, the internal conflicts within the group are clear, especially the simmering tension between Simon Peter and Matthew over Matthew's past as a tax collector. The episode also introduces two key new characters who bring practical skills to the ministry: Judas Iscariot, whose financial acumen is quickly noticed, and Joanna, a wealthy supporter from Herod's court, who helps fund the mission.

The central theme is the stark contrast between the "mountaintop" experience of the sermon and the difficult, day-to-day reality of living it out. It explores the cost of discipleship, the challenge of forgiveness, and the logistical beginnings of Jesus's formal ministry, all while the disciples struggle to function in their master's absence.

The main parts of the Bible referenced in Season 3, Episode 1 ("Homecoming") are the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount and passages related to the disciples and their mission.

Direct References and Allusions

• Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount): The episode opens with the conclusion of Jesus's most famous teaching, which includes the Beatitudes and his instructions on how to live as citizens of God's Kingdom.

• Luke 8:1-3 (Women Supporting the Ministry): The character of Joanna, the wife of Herod's household manager, is introduced. This passage is the biblical source that names her as one of the real women who supported Jesus and the disciples financially.

• Deuteronomy 6:4 (The Shema): In a powerful scene, Matthew's devout father, Alphaeus, recites this central prayer of Judaism—"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one"—after rejecting his son.

• Luke 6:12-16 (The Choosing of the Twelve): The episode features the now-formalized group of twelve apostles, including the official introduction of Judas Iscariot, whose name is included in this and other Gospel lists.

Thematic Parallels

These scriptures are not directly quoted but provide the biblical context for the episode's main themes.

• Matthew 10:34-37 (The Cost of Discipleship): Jesus's words about discipleship causing division within families ("a man's enemies will be the members of his own household") are the direct thematic parallel for Matthew's painful rejection by his parents.

• Galatians 6:2 (Bearing Burdens): The conflicts between the disciples, particularly Simon Peter's grudge against Matthew and Andrew's anxiety, relate to the Apostle Paul's later instruction to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."