Heartwarming / Ben-Hur (1959)

• Judah Ben-Hur is being dragged off to the slave galleys from Jerusalem to Tyr under the blazing Judean sun, and is denied water by the Roman decurion. As Judah falls to the ground and tearfully prays to God, a shadow passes over him: it's a local carpenter's son, who gently and silently offers him water to drink and pours some on his face. The Roman decurion tries to stop the young man from helping Judah, but the Roman sees something in the man's face that makes him sheepishly turn away, unable to even speak.
• Before the naval battle, Quintus Arrius has all of his galley's rowers chained except Judah to keep them at their post. When the galley is rammed, the first thing Judah does is knocking out one of the overseers, steal his keys, and unchain the other rowers to give them a chance to escape. Then he goes on to save Arrius' life in the battle, and stops the consul from killing himself, thinking the battle was lost.
• Judah and Arrius' relationship. Judah saves his life, and in turn Arrius adopts him.
  • Arrius proudly introducing his new son to his guests. Judah chokes up as he thanks his new father.
• Balthazar joyfully giving Judah the news that after his long search, he's finally found the Son of God that he'd met years ago as a baby.
  Balthazar: Judah! He is here! I have found Him. The child has become a man. And the man, oh I know it now, is the Son of God!
  Judah: Happy Balthazar. Life has answered you.
  Balthazar: Life has been answered.
• The scene where the sheik is saying good night to his horses is adorable. He calls them "his children" and addresses each of them by name. And it's easy to tell they love him too.
• Judah giving Jesus some water on the way to Golgotha, returning the gift he'd been given all those years ago (or tries to at least). Even better is the implication that Jesus recognizes Judah and remembers him from their earlier encounter.
• This dialogue after Judah comes back from Jesus' crucifixion, and also the final lines of the movie:
  Judah: Almost at the moment He died, I heard Him say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
  Esther: Even then.
  Judah: Even then. And I felt His voice take the sword out of my hand.
• Miriam and Tirzah are miraculously healed of their leprosy during the rainstorm that follows Jesus' Crucifixion.
• Judah is reunited with Miriam and Tirzah, surprised that they've been miraculously healed.

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