By Mark Skousen

On Easter weekend, it is traditional to show a series of epic films about the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some of these movies include “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965), “King of Kings”( 1961) and “The Passion of the Christ” (2004). Some of the best are those that tell the story indirectly, focusing on the lives of people who encountered him, such as “The Robe” (1953), “The Silver Chalice” (1954) and “Barabbas” (1961).

As inspiring as these films are, none of them can compare to the power and majesty of the greatest Christian film to make the silver screen: “Ben Hur,” to be shown Easter Sunday on Turner Classics Network and available on many streaming platforms. Based on the novel by civil war general Lew Wallace, “Ben Hur” was produced by Sam Zimbalist, directed by William Wyler, and stars Charlton Heston as Judah ben Hur. The screenplay was written primarily by Karl Turnberg, with help from Christopher Fry and Gore Vidal, among others. It won 11 academy awards, including best picture and best actor, in 1959.  

In 1999, I had the privilege of eating lunch with Charlton Heston at the New Orleans investment conference. He seemed amused when I greeted him with the “Ben Hur” arm shake and shouted, “Up Mars, Down Eros.” Heston recounted his many experiences as an actor, including his performance as Moses in “The Ten Commandments,” which won seven Oscars and included his infant son, Fraser, as the baby Moses. Before leaving, he warned that our liberties are at risk. “The government encourages irresponsibility. As citizens, you need to spend the same time and effort defending your freedoms as you do your investments.”

“Ben Hur” has endured for sixty years because of its classic conflict that pits good against evil, and its compelling story of a religious skeptic who overcomes bitterness through his conversion to a Christian life. It offers a powerful message for a secular world secular sorely in need of faith, forgiveness, and comfort.

“Ben Hur” tells the story of a wealthy Jewish family during the time of Christ’s ministry. He is arrested for a crime he never committed and becomes a galley slave. His beloved sister Tirzah (Cathy O’Donell) and mother Miriam (Martha Scott, who also played Heston’s mother in “The Ten Commandments”) are also arrested and imprisoned for life. Ben Hur swears vengeance against his accuser, Messala (Stephen Boyd), the Roman commander, even though they had been children playmates. His bitterness and hatred keep him alive for five years in the Roman galleys.

Eventually, Ben Hur escapes and returns to Jerusalem a free man, seeking revenge against Messala. He gets his revenge in the chariot race, one of the most dramatic scenes in the history of film, but he finds that revenge is more bitter than sweet.

Like most epic films, “Ben Hur” is too long (almost 4 hours), and by today’s standards the pacing is too slow. But several classic scenes are so powerful and inspiring that they can never be forgotten.

These include the verbal and physical battles between the two principal characters, Ben Hur and Messala, from boyhood friends to bitter enemies. When our theme at FreedomFest was “Are We Rome?” in 2013 (appropriately produced for Caesars Palace in Vegas), we reenacted the famous confrontation scene, where Ben Hur warns Messala, “Rome is an affront to God; it is strangling my people, my country, the whole earth. I tell you, the day Rome falls there will be a shout for freedom the world has never heard before.” One could say the same for the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. Or the extermination of the corona virus for that matter. You can watch it here.

The most inspiring scene in the film is the poignant moment when Christ as a carpenter defies the orders of the Roman soldier and provides water to a desperate Ben Hur on his way to the galleys. We never see Jesus’s face, just his hands, but we feel his tender mercy and righteous disobedience. I know of no episode in the history of film that captures the spirit and power of God as this one does.

The end of the story is moving, not only in the thrilling chariot race, but in the miraculous healing of Ben Hur and his family. Because his mother and sister are wrongly imprisoned in a dungeon for five years, they contract leprosy, an infectious disease that causes severe disfiguring of the arms, legs and skin. As a youngster, I’ll never forget the scene when the prison guard enters their prison cell and recoiling as he cries out, “lepers!”

Ben Hur is a risk taker. Ignoring the public’s fears of this highly infectious disease, he enters the leper colony and takes his mother and daughter to see Christ, the great healer. He almost arrives too late; Christ is already hanging on the cross. Ben Hur stands a short distance away, knowing that the Romans have condemned a man who, like himself, is innocent of any crime. He hears Christ say, looking down on the Roman soldiers, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”    

At this point, there is a mighty change in Ben Hur’s heart. He confesses that because of the power of the Savior, “I felt his voice take the sword out of my hand.”

Is there not a message here for all of us? Have we not all been treated unfairly at times in our lives, harboring anger, hatred and even bitterness? It can destroy our lives if we are not careful. Director William Wyler was fond of saying, “It took a Jew to make a really good movie about Christ.” Indeed, the success of the film largely rests in the fact that it is not about Christ, but about a man who is changed by his encounters with Christ. In this sense its message, about the power of forgiveness and kindness, transcends any one religion.

Isaiah said about the Messiah’s power, “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…And with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

And David the psalmist adds, “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3).

These scriptures tell the meaning of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As the paschal lamb, and through his sacrifice on our behalf, he can remove the pain and agony of the dark days in your life – if you ask him. Christ offers comfort when he says, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: For I am meek and lowly in heart. And you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Many are using this time of sequestering in our homes to reach out to friends and family through letters and electronic media. I encourage you to think about those you may have offended, or who may have offended you, and offer a hand of fellowship and forgiveness. Your heart, too, can be healed.

May you be blessed on this Easter Sunday, Passover week, and beginning of Ramadan. As Jesus said in his famous sermon on the mount, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)