INTRO LESSON:
TITANIC’S LAST HERO
Grades 6-12
A true hero is often defined as someone admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, who often acts selflessly to help others, even in the face of danger. They are motivated by a desire to help, rather than by personal gain. Heroism involves a commitment to morals and values, sometimes even when facing risks or consequences. Those traits all apply to a man named John Harper.
On April 10th 1912, the RMS TITANIC left Southampton-England on her maiden voyage, sailing for New York. The ship was known as the “Ship of Dreams”, and her owners claimed that she was the safest ship of all time. It has been said that a deck hand commented, “Not even God could sink her.” On board were 2,223 passengers and crew members.
Here are some interesting facts about this ship:
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It cost $7.5 million to build (equal to $183.4 million today)
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She could hold 64 lifeboats, but only had 20. This was because the regulations were out of date, the owners wanted the boat to look better, they wanted to save money, and that they wouldn’t be needed since they believed that the ship was unsinkable.
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A lifeboat drill was scheduled for that morning, but Captain Smith cancelled it. When the lifeboats were launched, they were not full. 31.6% of those on board (705) survived, but 53.4% could have. Only 28 people boarded the first lifeboat. It has space for 65.
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The 700 passengers in third class had to share only 2 bathtubs.
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The Titanic was one of the first ocean liners to have a pool.
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There were 13 couples on board celebrating their honeymoon.
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The youngest passenger on board was Millvina Dean. She was 2 months old. She survived and lived to be 97.
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The ship received 6 warnings from other ships about icebergs being in the area. All of them were ignored. John Phillips, one of the radio operators on the Titanic, responded to a warning from the closest boat, the Californian, by telling their radio operator to “shut up, I’m busy.” (He was sending messages for rich, important passengers.) That operator, Cyril Evans, shut off his radio at midnight and went to bed. He was asleep when the Titanic sent out messages calling for help. Distress flares from the Titanic could be seen from the Californian, but when told, the captain told them to ignore them, and he went back to sleep. His ship could have saved many lives that night.
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The boat was traveling too fast for the conditions because they wanted to arrive in New York on time.
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Captain Smith was very experienced, but many blame him for his lack of leadership in this disaster.
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John Astor, one of the world’s richest men, died on the Titanic, as did Thomas Andrews, the boat’s designer.
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Francis Brown, an avid photographer, was given a one-day ticket on the Titanic as it sailed from Southampton to Queenstown. His iconic photos are some of the only ones taken on the ship’s maiden voyage.
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Norris Williams survived by swimming to a lifeboat. He was a tennis player who went on to win the US Nationals in 1914 and 1916 and then Olympic gold in 1924.
One man who didn’t survive, but could have, was Pastor John Harper. John was born to Christian parents in Scotland in 1872. He trusted Christ as his Savior at an early age and began preaching on the local streets at age 17. Harper’s life was characterized by extraordinary prayer. “He was,” said a friend, “a man who craved for souls.” And for those souls, he would sometimes spend all night in prayer. His humble love for others and his enthusiastic presentation of the Gospel brought many to Jesus.
In 1903, John married Anne Bell, and a few years later, she gave birth to a little girl they named Annie, whom they called Nana. Shortly after giving birth, Anne died, leaving John to raise their daughter alone. John became the Pastor of a small church in Glasgow, but because of his zeal for Christ and souls, it quickly grew to over 500 people. John was invited to speak in other places, including Moody Church in Chicago. His meetings went so well there that he was invited to come back. John had some business to attend to, so he delayed his travels until the middle of April. He and Nana boarded the brand-new Titanic, making its maiden voyage. Some believe that a picture that Francis Brown took of a father and daughter strolling on deck was actually John and Nana. They traveled in the second-class section, and it was said that John spoke with many other passengers about his faith.
On the fourth night of the trip, at 11:40 PM, the Titanic hit an iceberg, and a huge gap was ripped along her side. Many factors contributed to this accident. It was a moonless night, and the iceberg was blue, making it hard to see. The lookouts didn’t have binoculars because they were locked up, and no one could find the key. There was no wind, and the sea was calm, meaning that no waves would be visible washing up against the iceberg. The boat was also traveling too fast for the icy conditions.
Water began to pour into the various compartments, and in just 2 hours and 40 minutes, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. When the alarm was sounded, John woke Nana up and took her to a lifeboat. The rule was women and children first, but John would have been allowed to go with his daughter, since he was her sole parent. No one would have questioned that. John, however, hugged and kissed his daughter one last time, gave her a blanket, and put her in the charge of his sister, who was traveling with them. He told Nana that they would see each other again one day. He returned to share the way to heaven with as many of the perishing as he could. He knew that he was going to heaven, but he also knew that many on board would not.
Nana noticed that the air was getting colder as the ship made its way through the North Atlantic Ocean. That night, she put on her warmest pajamas and listened closely as her father read from his Bible. He then took her to the window and showed her all of the stars. She had never seen so many in her life. Out on the ocean, the view of them was so much clearer. He told her that there were even more that she couldn’t see and of the God Who made them all and Who knew them all by name. That same God loved them and was watching over them.
He preached his heart out as the orchestra bravely played. John waited until the very last minute before he jumped into the freezing water. He pleaded with people to ask God to forgive them of their sins before it was too late. John swam from one person to the next, sharing God’s truth. One man listened, but he refused the offer of salvation. John gave him his life vest, saying, “You need this more than me.” Then he swam away to tell someone else. A wave oddly brought John back to this same man, who was clinging to a piece of wood. The man had changed his mind, and John led him to Christ. He would be John’s last convert, for soon after John would lose his life to the cold.
A few lifeboats returned to pick up any survivors, and that man was one of them. Only 6 people survived this way. A ship called the Carpathia arrived early the next morning and rescued all who were in the lifeboats. When the boat arrived at the dock in New York City, a sign was posted with the passenger list from the Titanic. It only had two columns, one said “SAVED”, the other “LOST”.
WHAT SPIRITUAL LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS TRAGEDY?
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That morning, no one on board woke up thinking that it was their last day on earth. Many spent their last day partying and enjoying the luxury of the ship. They felt safe and secure on this “unsinkable” boat. Most people live their life that way, not thinking about eternity and how short and uncertain life is. Crosses along roads remind us of this.
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In the end, wealth made no difference. The rich perished like the poor. John Astor could have offered a sailor $1 million to get on a lifeboat, but why would he take it? He wouldn’t live to spend it. Your chances of dying whether rich or poor is 100 %. The rich can’t buy their salvation, nor can they take their money with them.
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The tale of two ships. The CALIFORNIAN was the closest and perhaps could have rescued all who were on the Titanic. Instead, their radio was turned off, so they didn’t get any SOS messages, and they completely ignored the 8 warning flares sent up by the Titanic. The captain and crew slept through the whole thing. They did nothing to help. When the CARPATHIA received Titanic’s distress call, the captain was informed, and he sprang into action. He gave every command he could to prepare for the rescue. All power was conserved to make the boat go faster. As they neared the site of the disaster, he ordered all his men to their posts and encouraged them to do their best. He was seen near the back of the ship praying, seeking God’s help. They were able to rescue all 700 of the survivors and showed them great and sacrificial care until they reached New York Harbor.
Every day, people are dying and going into eternity. Many Christians do nothing to share the good news of salvation with them. They are asleep while many perish. Others do all they can to let people know the way to heaven, just as John did, and the sailors on the Carpathia did to save the survivors of the Titanic. Do you seek to win the Lost?
On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for your sins. To be saved, you must: Admit you’re a sinner, Believe that Jesus is the only one who can save you, and Commit your life to Him, trusting in Him alone to save you.
At the end of life, there are only two lists – one says, SAVED, the other says LOST. Which list are you on?