k-ramblings #3: gwanghae the man who became king

i have been wanting to write a movie of 'gwanghae the man who became king' ever since i watched it some weeks back. this is not a typical review, for that you can check out Dramabeans' review here: http://www.dramabeans.com/2013/05/movie-review-gwanghae-the-man-who-became-king/

i agree with some of the negatives of the review by Dramabeans as the film really did make the villians very one-dimensonal and evil just because they have to be evil. but i thought this movie was so excellent because it really reminded me of my Jesus, and has so much resonance with the person of Jesus. i personally really believe that the movie was such a huge success because the king embodied so many of the characteristics that the human heart yearns for in a person, that the human heart was made to appreciate and worship, because those characteristics are those that come close to the person of Jesus. every person has a yearning to have a superhero and a figure that he can respect 100% without any reserve. why do you think all the pseudo superhero movies do so well? why do you think we are always looking for the next person we can admire and respect? it is a deep cry out for Jesus who is the TRUE superhero, the true King of Kings.

in the movie, what touched my heart the most was that the king felt so indignant about the atrocities that are going on in the name of the 'law of the country' when it is actually the games and politicking that rulers play to give themselves more power. there were scenes where the king literally had veins bursting with anger like at the criminal courts where the innocent guy was being tortured for committing a stupid crime that isnt even worthy to be a crime, and at the official court where he shouted helplessly at the court ministers for upholding a law when it is oppressing so many people. in the Bible, Jesus was also furious at the Pharisees who are the counterparts of the law enforcers like the court ministers in the movie, for beating a woman caught in adultery. Jesus, like the king, came in reprimanded the Pharisees and stepped up to save the lady from being stoned to death. Jesus' eyes were blazing against injustice and religiousity that Pharisees were defending unscrupulously while the same eyes conveyed compassion, forgiveness and love for the lady. Jesus never allowed injustice and nonsense to go pass Him without confronting it head on, not for His self glory, but because He has compassion and love for sinners. in the movie, the king could feel so much for the commoners and servants in the court because he is a commoner. the king can understand the pains, struggles and challenges of daily life as a commoner, to put food on the table and to strive for a better life. Jesus, like the king, could also felt the pains and struggles of mere mortal human beings. Jesus, unlike the king, actually IS a real king, but chose to give up all of heaven's glory and position of authority as God's beloved Son, to come down to earth to be Man. in Jesus' case, it wasnt just a stand-in, He actually came all the way down to BE man (commoners). in Jesus' case, it wasnt just a fictional show, it was and is real. how can you not be touched by Jesus? how can you not just fall in love with such a loving Saviour who went all the way for you?

what touched my heart was also that the king took notice and bothered to take note of the little things and traits of his servants, like the chief eunuch Jo and the food taster Sa-Wol. like the fact that Sa-Wol loved eating red bean porridge, her family situation that is tied directly to the legislation of the royal court. the king on purpose ordered Sa-Wol's favourite food because he knew that she would get to eat it after he has eaten his share. he bothers to also make an effort to cheer the queen up, who because of palace ettiquete rules dont allow the king and queen to profess their love openly like commoners can, like putting seaweed in his teeth to look like a goon to get the queen to laugh. these little touches also so like Jesus too. when the leper who came to Jesus for healing, Jesus didnt just healed him and let him go. Jesus touched the leper. the tiny act of touching is precious, as Pastor Prince shared before, because lepers are not to be touched nor even be in close contact with anyone because of the highly contagious nature of the disease. the leper thus was devoid of human touch for who knows how long. yet, Jesus touched the leper, a small but precious detail that shows how detailed and meticulously the Lord loves us, loves you and loves me. His attention for us is personalised and special. Jesus one time also travelled all the way to Samaria just so that He could minister to one woman who have had 5 husbands. the Bible says it this way, "Jesus MUST NEEDS go through Samaria". Jesus HAD to go through Samaria, even though it was the longer way in the journey He was making. all the way for just one woman. and this woman is not a virteous woman nor a woman of honourable stature. she had 5 husbands and the one with her one is not even her husband. normal people would cast her judging looks and must have talked behind her back, many would not even not even bother about her. but Jesus is not like us. Jesus HAD to go, because she was hurting and crying out for a love that could satisfy. only Jesus can love the way He does.

there were other moments in the movie too that reminded me of the altogether lovely, kind, loving and gracious Saviour that i have. my point in writing this is to say that the reason why this movie will resonate with you, is not just because it has a humanised touch and characters that are well-developed, it is so much more than that. this movie resonates because deep inside each and every human being is a deep cry for a person or someone or something that we can look up to, that we can admire, that we can hold our respect for. no Man can ever fulfil this cry because all Man have clay feet, shortcomings, self-righteousness that puffs up, egos bigger than themselves. only Jesus is the all together lovely, the perfect spotless and beautiful Man that we can truely look up to and worship. and we can do this forever, knowing that this Man is also God. only only one Person can satisfy your heart's cry for a true Superhero, and His name is Jesus.