Jesus in the Quantum Era

Recently, quantum communication has been gaining attention as a promising way to overcome the limitations of existing communication technologies.

Quantum communication applies quantum mechanics, famous for Schrödinger's cat, to communication technology. Schrödinger was a master of physics who won the Nobel Prize. To explain quantum mechanics, which was causing a stir in the physics community at the time, he used the example of a cat in a box.

Inside the box, along with the cat, are radium and a glass bottle containing a cyanide poison. The bottle is designed to break upon detecting radioactivity. Radium decays with a 50-50 chance of emitting radiation. If the radiation is detected and the glass bottle breaks, the cyanide is released, which has a 50-50 chance of killing the cat.

Before opening the box, we can define the probability of whether the cat is dead or alive. However, in the quantum world, the cat is not just in a state of being either dead or alive but in a state where both possibilities exist simultaneously. This is known as superposition.

Although it’s quite a difficult concept, it is an excellent metaphor for explaining the strange properties of quantum mechanics, and it is still widely talked about today. Over time, communication technology utilizing the superposition phenomenon explained by Schrödinger's cat has emerged.

The field that can be most immediately applied to quantum communication is remote surgery. Remote surgery is a useful method to save patients in situations where medical staff cannot physically reach. However, concerns about communication delays or hacking have been consistently raised.

Quantum communication fundamentally eliminates these problems. Just like the cat in the box before it is observed, the quantum state is in superposition, and its state cannot be known. Only when the quantum state of the sender is decided can the receiver verify it. Therefore, a hacker cannot intercept it.

Furthermore, regardless of distance, once one part of the state is known, the opposite part's state is simultaneously determined without delay. This contrasts with signals like light or telegraphy that take time due to their defined speed. This interaction between quantum particles is known as entanglement.

From paper to wired telephones, wireless to quantum, communication methods connecting people over long distances have rapidly developed, overcoming the constraints of time and space. Now, we are entering a realm with no limits on speed or security.

Jesus' abilities were not constrained by time and space, akin to combining quantum communication and remote surgery. In Matthew 8, a centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant who was at home. Jesus said He would go and heal him. But the centurion responded, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus praised the centurion's faith and healed the servant from a distance.

Jesus demonstrated this ability beyond the constraints of time and space in response to the centurion's faith. But Jesus did not come to Earth to prove His abilities. The true purpose of His coming is well illustrated in the story of the leper in the same chapter.

A leper also sought healing from Jesus. Jesus could have healed him with just a word. However, Jesus touched the man. Max Lucado, author of Just Like Jesus, describes this moment:

“He wanted to give me more than just healing. He wanted to honor me, acknowledge my worth, and give me faith. Think about it. A person whom nobody would touch became honored by God's touch.”

We often want to obey the Word but struggle to find concrete ways to do so. We may confuse worldly justice or self-righteousness dressed in Scripture's clothing. However, the true way to live according to the Word must come from meditating on Jesus' life.

Jesus showed specific ways to follow the Word in daily life. Jesus is the model of the Word and the Word itself. In the movie Before Sunrise, there is a line:

“If there is a God, it wouldn't be inside of you or me. It would be in the space in between.”

People cannot see Jesus in us. It becomes visible when we come close to the loneliness of people hidden behind sophisticated culture and advanced technology. Between you and me. In that space. Selah.