"The Shepherd" is the short film that inspired The Chosen.
The birth of Jesus is seen through the eyes of some local shepherds. These simple men, particularly a devout young cripple, had a world-shaking encounter.
This episode provides examples of:
- Based on a True Story: The opening title is, "Based on the true story from Luke's Gospel, Chapter 2".
- From Special to Series: "The Shepherd" was produced for the annual Christmas celebration of Dallas Jenkins' church. It inspired the series, but was not created as a series pilot.
- Holy Backlight: The angels' appearance is portrayed as a bright light shining on the shepherds.
- The Load: Simon, the crippled shepherd, is perceived as this by the other shepherds. Not only is he unable to keep up with them, but he brought a blemished lamb to the market.
- Sacrificial Lamb: The shepherds bring lambs to the market, where they are inspected to determine whether they are worthy to be sacrificed.
- Throwing Off the Disability: After the angels appear, Simon starts running and throws down his crutch.
