You have probably heard of the story, Ben Hur, but odds are you may not have actually seen it…at least until this new version released. So what’s the hype? I knew there was a famous chariot scene (in which someone did not die, despite the rumors…although there was an accident in filming), but that’s about all I knew. Turns out, it’s kind of a big deal. Read this excerpt from Wikipedia:
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace published by Harper & Brothers on November 12, 1880, and considered “the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century”.[1] It became a best-selling American novel, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) in sales. The book also inspired other novels with biblical settings and was adapted for the stage and motion picture productions. Ben-Hur remained at the top of the US all-time bestseller list until the publication of Margaret Mitchell‘s Gone with the Wind (1936). The 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben-Hur was seen by tens of millions and won eleven Academy Awards in 1960, after which the book’s sales increased and it surpassed Gone with the Wind.[2] The novel was blessed by Pope Leo XIII, the first work of fiction to receive such a blessing. [1]
It’s a story about Jesus in a roundabout kind of way. It was written largely as an exploration of Jesus by a man who didn’t know anything about him. In fact, Lew Wallace, the author, had a conversation on a train with an agnostic about Christianity and Wallace was ashamed that he didn’t have any real convictions in the matter because he knew so little. So, his conversation with the agnostic inspired him to dig deeper and learn something about Jesus. It was in writing this story and learning about Jesus in the process that Wallace himself became a believer…and wrote one of the most famous and influential books of the nineteenth century.
I dare say that this modern retelling, while focusing on updating the style of the movie (in line with modern technical abilities), may have neglected some of the rich focus on dialogue that was doubtless in the original text and most likely in the prior movie version. (Confession, I have not seen it, yet.) That’s not to say it’s not worth seeing, just that I wished there had been richer dialogue to go along with the stunning cinematography. That’s really beyond the scope of this article, however. Let me instead focus on a few of the themes in the movie.
Judah Ben Hur comes from a wealthy Jewish family. They take in an orphan Gentile, Messala, and raise him as their own. Messala and Judah love each other deeply; the closest of brothers. They are not, however, the same. Messala is keenly aware of the fact that he is an orphan and a Gentile. He’s too proud to be indebted to the Ben Hur family and sets out to make his own mark in the world.
The brothers eventually find each other on different sides of the political tensions. Messala has risen to power with the Roman regime, a regime that is hostile to the Jews. Judah tries to stay neutral, but sometimes there is no neutral ground, only sides. In a time of “you’re either for us or against us”, Judah’s neutrality was seen as being against Rome, and against Messala. Messala felt betrayed and to save face he allowed the Roman guard to enslave Judah and kill his family.
This set in motion a world of hate and hopes for revenge in Judah, as well as feelings of guilt and shame and hostility in Messala. Not to mention they both felt betrayed by the other.
Judah wants to get even with Messala but how can one compete against Rome? The only chance he has is to do in the arena at the games. He races against Messala in the chariot races and wins. In that moment, he wins his freedom, popularity, bests Messala—Rome’s finest (erego, Rome by proxy). He’s a threat to Rome and the Roman ideal. And yet, Pilate says about Jesus, “That man offers … something more… That Jesus is more dangerous than [all the other threats to Rome.]” Pilate didn’t see Judah with his revenge and even his skills and daring and determination and popularity as a threat. How could he be a threat when he was really just a mirror image of Rome itself? Jesus was the real threat. Jesus got “revenge” through love, through service, through loving his enemy and forgiving offenses. Jesus was revolutionary. Love was revolutionary, and he knew it.
Hate only escalated the conflict between Judah and Messala. What finally brought them back together was Judah giving up his hate and reaching out in love. Messala was angry. He was destroyed in the chariot race. He would never be the same (he lost a leg or two). He wanted to blame Judah; wanted to kill him. But Judah changed everything when rather than responding to Messala’s hate with more hate or with defensiveness or reason, he responding with incredible love and humility. He put his life in Messala’s hands and said, “Remember when we were young and I was hurt and you carried me for as long as you could with all of your strength? I can’t fight anymore. I can’t hate anymore. All I can do is carry you.” After all Messala had done to Judah and his family, Judah offered to spend his life carrying his brother, loving him, helping him, by his side forever. He gave the love of Jesus and it washed away both of their hate and bitterness.
Here are a few noteworthy themes for discussion:
- Orphan Spirit vs. Spirit of Sonship: Messsala’s perspective was different than Judah’s because he was an orphan in the family, whereas Judah was a son. Even if the family didn’t make a distinction, Messala still felt it. Why is that? How did being an orphan change Messala’s perspective on life and his place in the family? Orphans feel they have to prove themselves. They aren’t confident in being loved for who they are. They have a fear of abandonment and a sense of poverty (of not enough in their lives). Secure children grow up knowing they are loved, feeling secure in their place in the family, secure in love and in having enough of whatever they need. We can have either of those same attitudes (or “spirits”) in our spiritual lives as well. Which characterizes you and your relationship with God more closely?
- Love Covers over Wrongs: Messala ordered the Ben Hur family to be killed. One of his guards defied his orders and saved their lives. He said “I did it for Messala. He cherished your sister. If he wouldn’t save her, I would save him from his own mistake.” He loved Messala enough to cover over his mistakes. He knew Messala would regret that order forever and that he really did love that family (especially their daughter). The Bible says love covers over a multitude of wrongs (1 Peter 4:8)—this is what he did for Messala. That grace saved them all from so much pain down the road. When have you seen this principle at work? How could you cover over wrongs for someone else as an act of love? How could someone do that for you?
- Why doesn’t God Do Right by the World?: In response to hearing about God Judah asked, “If there is a god, then why doesn’t he do right by the world?” He’d seen so much suffering and wrong in the world he felt God wasn’t doing right by them if he wasn’t “fixing” the problem. Have you ever asked the same question? Why doesn’t God change things? Judah found his answer in the person of Jesus. Jesus came to “fix” things. Not in the way Judah might have thought, by overthrowing Rome. He did it in a different way, by overthrowing death and sin and hate and all that is evil in the world. He did it by overcoming evil with good. As Pilate was quick to recognize, it was dangerously subversive. Jesus didn’t come to change governments, but to change hearts. When hearts change, everything else changes, too. Have you ever felt God should “do” something? What do you think about the fact that what He did was to send Jesus?
- Bitterness and Unforgiveness: Of course, bitterness and unforgiveness drive the plot between the brothers. They escalate the problem. Bitterness and unforgiveness always do. The answer isn’t found in revenge but in forgiveness, humility and love. There is a better way. A more powerful way. The way of Jesus. Have bitterness and unforgiveness ever escalated a problem in your life? Has forgiveness, humility and/or love ever solved a problem in your life? Which is the better way, based on your experience?
Click here to read quotes from Ben Hur.
Click here to read “7 Powerful Quotes from Ben Hur” (not in the movie).
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur:_A_Tale_of_the_Christ