Since I started watching Korean dramas while exercising on the treadmill, I’ve rarely skipped a session because I can hardly wait for the next episode.
The last Korean drama I watched featured a woman who was diagnosed with cancer with only a few months to live and a man who fell in love with her. Understandably, both characters cried a lot. In one episode, there were three scenes where one of them cried. I felt that it was excessive. So I decided that if either character cried one more time, I would stop watching the series. Unfortunately, one character cried again, so I moved on to a different drama about Genghis Khan, produced by a Chinese entertainment house.
I don’t usually watch dramas supposedly based on historical characters or events because I hate (with a passion) reconstructions of history. However, this drama was strongly recommend by my friend who claimed that the president of a global corporation in Korea ordered every director-level employee to watch it without exception. So out of curiosity, I started watching.
As I expected, the drama distorted and colored historical facts to show Genghis Khan in a favorable light, depicting him as wise, generous, brave man. But despite their efforts, it couldn’t hide the fact that he was a brutal warrior who invaded neighboring tribes for revenge or to steal treasures and women from them. During one Western expedition, he reached as far as Russia. During this campaign, he killed 40,000,000 people, a number almost as large as the entire South Korean population. Near the end, an aging Genghis Khan wistfully says, “If I had 10 more years to live, I would have completed the work I started.” I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “It was good that he didn’t live 10 more years. More people would have been killed.”
As I watched this drama, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus. Genghis Khan conquered a vast territory by force, but his empire soon disappeared and his descendants now live in a small area called Mongolia. But Jesus conquered the world, not with force but with love, and his kingdom is still expanding all over the world. His weapons were not horses or swords but love and sacrifice, which he exhibited on the cross. He said that those who live by the sword will perish by the sword. He’s right: it’s not force, but love that conquers.
In our daily lives, we are often tempted to resort to force and power to achieve our goals. But we must constantly remind ourselves that love and sacrifice are far superior in achieving our goals.
It’s a privilege for us to serve as disciples and soldiers the true conquerer, the Prince of Peace, and the King of Kings.
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