THE SECRET OF NIMH (1982)

Directed by: Don Bluth
Written by: Don Bluth, Will Finn, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy
Studio: United Artists / MGM
Starring: Derek Jacobi, Elizabeth Hartman, Dom DeLuise
Rated: G

About the film:
A widowed field mouse, whose son is dying of pneumonia and whose home is in the path of a farmer’s plow, seeks the help of a secret society of super-intelligent rats who are more than willing to lend a helping hand.

Movie Quote:
“You can unlock any door, if you only have the key.”
Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman) in The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Bible Quote:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
John 14:6 (NIV)

Commentary:
It may be a simple truth, but it still manages to be one which many have missed. Without the proper key, all that is held behind a locked door will remain out of reach; unseen and unusable. The lack of a key is often the only thing standing between where a person is and where that person desires to be. It is certainly true when speaking of spiritual matters.

To fully understand the scriptures; to establish and maintain a close personal relationship with our Creator; to grow and mature as a spiritual being; to receive all the spiritual blessings that God is overjoyed to give us… we must first believe that Jesus Christ is what the Word of God declares him to be.

Jesus Christ is the key to unlocking the Bible thus bringing its interwoven and eternal truths to our full awareness. Knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and what he was sent to accomplish is absolutely essential if we are to follow the exhortation of 2 Timothy 2:15 and “rightly divide” the word of truth as “workmen of the Word.”

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. If there is only one key that unlocks the door leading to God, how many wrong keys are there? (Compare against Matthew 7:13-14)
2. What spiritual meanings can be seen in the film’s final resolution? How was Mrs. Brisby able to save her home?

Michael Elliott
http://screensermon.blogspot.com