Just last month, the JESUS Film was translated into its 1,000th language! In fact, according to the Jesus Film Translation Progress Report Web Page, as of August 23, 2007, they have officially translated 1,009 versions of the film. This is a huge milestone, as the film is now available for people groups in their native language covering 90% the world.
Many of you know about the JESUS Film. Created in 1979 by Campus Crusade for Christ, it’s a full length docu-drama used by missionaries and evangelistic teams around the world. Years ago I used the film in Eastern Europe to introduce several people to Christ.
For people who can not read the Scriptures or who just are more attuned to responding to visual media, the film is an excellent tool. Many other mission organizations use it. In fact, it is the most translated film in the history of the world.
Even more amazing is the story behind the translation of the 1,000th language – a language called Ho. Ho is spoken by about 1 million people in Central Asia and India.
Jesus Film translation work for the Ho language began 10 or more years ago in India. Involved in the effort was Australian missionary Graham Staines. One night in 1999 Staines and his two young boys traveled to a small village to meet with believers. Only a small percentage of villagers had come to faith at the time, and it was considerably dangerous to be in opposition to the prevailing religion. During the trip, he and his boys spent the night in their Jeep. While they slept, radical Hindu leaders surrounded the Jeep and set fire to it. Graham and his sons were burned to death.
After receiving news of the murders, Mrs. Staines said, “I’m terribly upset but not angry. My husband loved Jesus Christ, who taught us to forgive our enemies.” She continued to serve as a missionary in India with her daughter. Last month, for the first time through the Jesus Film, people from the Ho language were able to see and hear the complete story of our perfect Forgiver and Redeemer Who lives today.
P.S. Sadly, but for the glory of God, many other Jesus Film workers have been put to death around the world. See more in our post about these amazing men and women here. The photo above is from the memorial plaque honoring Staines at the Jesus Film Master Studio in Orlando. If you’d like to learn more about the Jesus Film and its translation work around the world, come visit us in Orlando and take the Jesus Film Master Studio Tour.
