Korean dramas and the Bible
It's funny but, I think watching Korean historical dramas might have helped me picture some things in the Bible better. Haha.
I've been watching Dong Yi. Most of the settings are within the palace where there are a lot of protocols – bowing to higher ranks, having to go through many gateways before you can see the king, the king's absolute authority, and more. It gets a bit tedious at times because it makes the show longer (get to the main plot!), but you really do see the respect and hierarchy in place.
So. Today as I read the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, I read about how the prophet Jeremiah was plotted against because he brought news of God's judgement to people who did not want to listen. Beyond that, Jeremiah brought God's Word to the King. Even though it was bad news, Jeremiah could not hold God's words in and spoke, not afraid of a potential "Off with his head!"
I imagine people like Elijah storming into King Ahab's presence and think, wow, it could have been pretty scary for Elijah, especially in the presence of an evil king who had an even more evil plus crazy queen. She definitely had guards nearby to do her every bidding. I think of Moses who yes, though he was once an Egyptian who lived in the palace, confronting Pharoah sitting on his high throne with many officials and guards surrounding him, demanding for all Israelite slaves to be freed (like, wuddd?).
It must have taken real guts for those prophets to ram through all the protocols, stand before the country's highest man, and dare speak such words before the nation's king! But also, it must have taken, if not craziness, deep conviction and supernatural boldness.
It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said about Jesus:
You either call them a lunatic, or supernaturally-real-made-possible-only-by-the-one-and-only-God. Take your pick!
I've been watching Dong Yi. Most of the settings are within the palace where there are a lot of protocols – bowing to higher ranks, having to go through many gateways before you can see the king, the king's absolute authority, and more. It gets a bit tedious at times because it makes the show longer (get to the main plot!), but you really do see the respect and hierarchy in place.
^ Korean King holding a session. Every time he gives a decree, they all bow with their heads to the floor to either appeal it or thank him for his graciousness. ^
^ Royalty is always surrounded by a gazillion people.
Their guards, eunuchs/ladies-in-waiting, servants... ^
So. Today as I read the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, I read about how the prophet Jeremiah was plotted against because he brought news of God's judgement to people who did not want to listen. Beyond that, Jeremiah brought God's Word to the King. Even though it was bad news, Jeremiah could not hold God's words in and spoke, not afraid of a potential "Off with his head!"
I imagine people like Elijah storming into King Ahab's presence and think, wow, it could have been pretty scary for Elijah, especially in the presence of an evil king who had an even more evil plus crazy queen. She definitely had guards nearby to do her every bidding. I think of Moses who yes, though he was once an Egyptian who lived in the palace, confronting Pharoah sitting on his high throne with many officials and guards surrounding him, demanding for all Israelite slaves to be freed (like, wuddd?).
It must have taken real guts for those prophets to ram through all the protocols, stand before the country's highest man, and dare speak such words before the nation's king! But also, it must have taken, if not craziness, deep conviction and supernatural boldness.
It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said about Jesus:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say.
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
You either call them a lunatic, or supernaturally-real-made-possible-only-by-the-one-and-only-God. Take your pick!
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P.S. This is why Korean dramas are (not always) a waste of time :P
Credit: Pictures from... just Google "Dong Yi"
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