Chariot Races & Spreading the Word of Christ

A challenge that led to writing

Seen any good chariot races lately? Not the NASCAR or Formula 1 kind. I mean a good old-fashioned Roman chariot race...

Movie buffs, of course, will immediately picture the scenes from the classic film Ben Hur. Charlton Heston (hey, wasn't he Moses, too?) and a cast of thousands.

I was listening to a Christian podcast on Epiphany day - January 6. I did not remember that movie for anything more than the chariot race scene. But there is so much more behind that classic.

The author Lew Wallace was a Union general in the U.S. Civil War. He was on a train ride to an 1876 war reunion when he ran into Colonel Robert Ingersoll. Ingersoll was known as the great agnostic, touring the country and trying to discredit those who followed the Christian faith. The Colonel's denial of the existence of God, the role of Christ, and the possibility of heaven challenged Wallace's faith so much that he was determined to prove him wrong.

A chariot that carries Christ

Wallace had penned a short story during the war. Based on the story of the Wisemen in the Bible, it had captured his boyhood imagination. He wondered who they were, where they had come from, and what led them to ask: "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

Starting there, Lew Wallace added more episodes from the life of Christ until he published Ben Hur: The Tale of the Christ in 1880. His theme was to show the necessity of a Savior.

A classic that shares Epiphany

It became the best-selling American novel until Gone with the Wind. His lead character Judah Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince who undergoes many trials before he encounters his Savior Jesus and his life is transformed.

Wallace died in 1905. Even by then, millions had read his best-seller, inspired by his reflections on the Wisemen and their visit to find the newborn King.

The familiar Matthew chapter 2 Epiphany message inspired Wallace to share the light of Christ with the world. At 316NOW, that is our vision as well. We see a world of souls captive to sin & unbelief. In the words of Romans 3:23 - All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our one hope is found in God's Son, Jesus the Christ!

Prayer: Loving Lord, we lift our hearts to you and seek your blessing to prosper our work as we share the gospel of Jesus with our Chinese brothers and sisters around the world. The message of the Wisemen makes it clear that all are invited. Through your Holy Spirit may we clearly follow your lead and share this life-changing message.

By Dave Payne

Based on a BREAKPOINT podcast from the Colson Center