The Parable of The Titanic
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13 Mar The Parable of The Titanic

Posted at 18:21h in Field Notes by

I keep seeing the Titanic going down in the cold North Atlantic at night.  As the ship sinks, bedlam ensues with people being suddenly engulfed by the cold dark water, terrified. It is too late to learn how to swim. But for those who find a bobbing life raft, it is the difference between life and death. 

This is a parable of spiritual preparedness. To know how to swim is to know how to walk with God in what He is working out. A life raft bobbing beside you is the mature relationship with Jesus that you know how to clamber into. 

The one who knows instinctively how to climb into that relationship, is the one who will be saved from the panic.  It is a lot like the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. (Matthew 25) All were asleep awaiting the bridegroom, but when the shout was heard, they all awoke. Five were foolish and lacked oil. Five were wise and had enough, but they could not share what they had. And it was too late for the five foolish virgins to purchase what they needed. 

These parables are not meant to explain everything; each is just a simple picture describing a reality that will be operating at the time when Jesus returns.

Late in the evening on April 14, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic hit an iceberg and sank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, killing 1,517 of her 2,223 passengers and crew members. The ultimate cause of the accident was that the ship struck an iceberg. The Titanic failed to slow down, even after having received several wireless messages warning of ice ahead. They went full speed into a region with icebergs—that’s what sank the ship. We find ourselves on a ship headed full speed into a region of icebergs, unresponsive to the urgent calls to wisdom.

The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.   Proverbs 2: 6 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.    Proverbs 3:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.    James 1:5;

There is another parable about a servant doing what he is supposed to be doing right up until the moment of his master’s  arrival. And there is the parable of the talents, describing those who must give an accounting to their master upon his return. He has been gone for a long time, but when he comes, I want to bring him a return on his investment in me. 

This blog is being written to share what I’ve been taught, so that you will be able to climb into that life raft drifting beside you, becoming a strong pair of arms to draw in others beside you.  

The signs are everywhere. What can be shaken will be shaken, so that only what cannot be shaken will remain. It’s kind of an end, but more than an end it is a transition into a new beginning… the transition is not going to be easy….  but the new beginning will be so wonderful that only God could dream of it in eternity, where the whole story begins.