There is one scene in Ben-Hur that perfectly encapsulates my relationship with Christ. The Savior is bearing His cross, and, drained from the work of atoning, has begun to stumble and fall. Merciless Roman soldiers punish the Lord at each fall, adding to the sting of thorns and the bite of the lash. The work of Atonement it would seem, is agonizing beyond belief, and without a spot of relief till the bitter dregs have been drunk.
Judah Ben-Hur has come, seeking Jesus, for aid. His mother and sister are afflicted with leprosy, and his greatest desire is to see the ones he love whole and pure again. In what was surely a sucker punch, the rabbi whom his love, a believer named Esther, swears can heal them is not teaching the word of God to the people, but is instead marching towards execution at the hands of the Romans!
The greatest shock was yet to come. As the Redeemer of men again falls, Judah recognizes a face -- the same face that had given him the will to live, years ago. The humble carpenter of Nazareth had given Ben-Hur a drink of water as he was drug to the galley's, to live and die a slave. With one merciful action, Christ encouraged Judah Ben-Hur to continue living. And now, fate has been reversed: Ben-Hur is a free man, while the Messiah is a willing slave to the demands of Justice -- the Sanhedrin's ecclesiastical injustice, cruel Roman justice, and divine, loving justice from a God watching in agony.
Judah shrugs off his extra clothing, telling Esther to watch over his mother and sister. Where does Judah go? He presses through the thronging crowd, he tries to break through the Roman perimeter. He goes to "do what he can," a tried and true gospel ingredient.
If we take a step back, we'll recall that it was shortly before this montage of horror began that Mary, one of the Savior's closest friends, anointed Him. When some of the disciples complained about the use of expensive oil, Christ reprimanded them, saying, "She hath done what she could. . . . this . . . that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." (Mark 14:8,9) Judah Ben-Hur went to do what he could, and though fictional, his actions stand as a memorial to him as well.
Of course, we know that Judah cannot bear Christ's cross -- that duty is reserved for Joseph of Arimathea. We know that Jesus cannot be saved from His path. We even know that it is imperative that He see it through to the end, for all of us! And so it is no surprise, however painful it is, when Judah is shoved away from Christ. Judah grasps this moment as an opportunity to repay the kindness he was shown, and returns again, with a cup of water. Tragically, even this small show of tenderness cannot be allowed, as centurions knock this simple gift away, and separate Judah from Jesus once more.
Judah, having been in a position to help, is torn away from the man who saved his life, without having done a single thing to alleviate His pain. Instead, Judah has felt the stirrings of testimony, as he watches this man, this Man he now knows must surely be much more than a mere man, because of the way He bears the ridicule, and the pain, and the bloody fate looming ahead. Even now, Judah Ben-Hur is blessed by Jesus, the Christ.
It was Jeffrey R. Holland who reminded us that it was out "of divine necessity, [that] the supporting circle around Jesus [got] smaller and smaller and smaller," leading to the moment when, "against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair... because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path." (None Were With Him)
So often we too, like Judah Ben-Hur, wonder what we can do for the Savior, without realizing what the Lord has done, is doing, and will, with absolute certainty, do in the future, for us. It is my fervent hope that we remember that Jesus Christ "doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." (2 Nephi 2:24)
What can we do for a Savior so generous? Well, I've addressed this topic as it's own talk, but to put it in simple terms, I am certain that what He wants the most is our love. We may never be able to repay Him, but we can love Him, for surely He loved and loves us. In 1 John 4 it is written, "We love him because he first loved us." He loved us first, and He loves us best. And if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, we will love our brothers and sisters, and we will love ourselves.
I believe that the Savior cherishes every attempt to give Him a drink of cool water, however successful, much like a mother appreciates her children's macaroni art. We may not be able to do what He does, but we can "[do] what [we] could," and that is all Jesus Christ will ever ask of us. I'm with you, Judah Ben-Hur. We all are -- recipients of the Savior's mercy, beneficiaries of His Atonement's justice, and disciples following His lead. It is a sure path; one that after winding through Gethsemane, Calvary, and a garden tomb, will bring each of us back to "the Father of Lights," (James 1:17) resplendent, radiant, and celestially transformed. So it will be for all those who walk the Savior's path of charity. Like Ben-Hur and his loved ones, we will find ourselves whole, healed of spiritual impurities such as bitter vengeance and self-hate. We will find ourselves lifted, to higher vistas of understanding and compassion. We will find ourselves loved, beyond anything we could ever imagine. And that, is a testimony I can bear form personal experience. At some point in our lives, we will all have to metaphorically watch the Savior bear our pains, and sorrows, and infirmities, and it is through those experiences that we learn to love, to appreciate, and to follow. We will feel in our hearts that we are truly worthy of rescue. Let us never falter in our love and discipleship, I pray in the Savior's sacred name, even that of Jesus of Nazareth.
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