It might seem to the faithful that the world has been overtaken by godless heathens.  Women are being erased by men who call themselves female, babies are being sacrificed to Moloch in abortion facilities across the United States, and the Judeo-Christian values that shaped the world into a kinder and gentler place are being mocked by those who have never lived under true oppression.

Therefore, it's heartening to reflect on Angel Studios, which created the show The Chosen, the first multi-episodic recounting of the life of Jesus Christ.  It's even better to look at how Angel Studios found the money for The Chosen.  The show is crowdfunded by thousands of people hungering for God.

On Palm Sunday weekend, Angel Studios released His Only Son, a portrayal of the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac.  The movie finished third behind blockbusters Dungeons and Dragons and John Wick: Chapter 4.  His Only Son moved audiences so much that they have paid for more than 17,000 free tickets so the movie can be shared as widely as possible.

Image: Angel Studios homepage for His Only Son (cropped).  Angel Studios screen grab.

Mind you, this is a challenging story.  God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, and Abraham promptly took Isaac out, tied him to an altar, and took up a knife to kill him.  Isaac was not just Abraham's only son.  He was the only child Abraham was ever going to have, a true miracle child of Abraham and his wife Sarah's old age.

In the Bible, Isaac does ask his father where the lamb for the sacrifice is, and Abraham replies that God will supply the lamb.  Abraham had such faith in God's goodness and justice that he wasn't really expecting to have to kill Isaac — and he was correct, for God did, indeed, provide a ram for the sacrifice.

This was a time when child sacrifice was common.  There were many cultures killing their children to appease false gods.  Abraham demonstrated that the followers of God were just as willing to make great sacrifices.  And God made it plain for all the ages, in the most compelling way possible, that He does not want such sacrifices.  He told Abraham to drop the knife.  All the beauty and power of Judaism flow from that moment.  God forbade the sacrifice of a single precious life in His honor.

The only sacrifice He ever accepted was His own son, Jesus, who willingly gave his life for our salvation.  On this holy weekend, let us be thankful that there are still people in the world who believe in this message.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story of forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible.