The Matrix - A Cyberpunk Parable?

C. Allegory of Neo as a Christ Figure

Part 3: The death, resurrection, victory, and ascension of Christ

• This is quite a stretch, but after Trinity brings Neo dinner and goes outside with Cypher, there is a pattern of a cross on Neo's door, which can foreshadow what is about to happen to Neo.

• Like Jesus becoming a human being and entering the world, Neo 'incarnates' into the Matrix world to save Morpheus and humanity.

• Like Jesus giving himself on the cross as a substitute for our sins, Neo 'substitutes' his own life for that of Morpheus. Morpheus escapes judgment by a 'leap of faith' and 'receiving' Neo's hand, just as it takes faith to receive Christ. "To as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God..." (John 1:12). Neo escorts Morpheus to safety (escape in the phone booth), while Neo remains behind to die instead of Morpheus.

• Neo remains alone in the Matrix subway; not even Morpheus (who is like a 'Father') or 'Trinity' are there to help. Facing the Agents alone, Neo dies, defeats the Agents, and then comes back to the Nebuchadnezzar. In the same way, Christ had to face his death alone - the disciples scattered in fear, and Jesus even cried out to the Father, "Why have You forsaken Me?" as God placed the sin of the world upon His sacrificed Son.

• Agent Smith strikes Neo, who falls and spits blood, just as Jesus was struck on the mouth during the beatings before the cross. Trinity says, "Jesus - they're killing him," as either a prayer or use of the Lord's name in vain - but it has double meaning for the allegory. In other words, "They're killing Jesus."

• Neo dies as Agent Smith shoots him. If we consider that the man created the Artificial Intelligence, then man effectively killed Neo, just as our sins demanded Christ's death. (For technical purposes: even though Satan unwittingly played a role in God's redemption plan by possessing Judas and also stirring up the crowds to crucify Jesus, it was truly God who chose to 'crush' his own Son for our sins on the cross; see Isaiah 53:10)

• Neo resurrects from the dead, just as Christ did. (Some of you clever mathematicians out there might stopwatch how long Neo was dead and figure some way to equate it to 3 days. Perhaps 72 seconds = 72 hours = 3 days?)

• The Oracle had said that Neo was maybe waiting on his "next life" as a form of hinted prophecy. The Word of God also predicted the resurrection of the Messiah, which Christ fulfilled.

• 'Trinity' arguably is the one that brought Neo back from death by her love. In parallel, God the Father, who is love (John 4:8a) raised Christ from the dead (Galatians 1:1).

• In a different aspect, a woman (Trinity) was the first one present at Neo's resurrection, just as it was a woman who first saw Christ raised (Mary Magdalene in John 20:14 and 18).

• Earlier in the film, Morpheus describes the Agents as the ones "guarding all the doors, holding all the keys." After Neo revived in the Matrix, he could see and understand the Matrix code all around him. He 'had the key' to the Matrix that kept humanity in a deathlike state. Neo also entered Agent Smith and defeated him, just as Jesus defeated Satan. The risen Christ now holds the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) because of his crucifixion, "that through death He [Christ] might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil." (Hebrews 2:14). And as for Agents "guarding all the doors", Jesus said, "I am the door, if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved." (John 10:9).

• When Neo destroys Agent Smith, he stands as a brilliant, shining figure of light. In the same way, Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world," (John 9:5). And, "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overpower it" (John 1:4), just as shining Neo overpowered evil Agent Smith.

• Neo displays total power over both the Matrix environment and the Agents. Jesus now wields unlimited power. "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me," said the risen Christ in Matthew 28:18.

• Neo speaks into a phone at the end of the movie, apparently telling the enemy machines that "I'm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules..." Christ will give his believers an eternal paradise, free from sin and the rules of the fallen world. Christ sets the believer free from the law of sin and death, and writes God's ways upon his heart. In heaven the believer will not need rules against sin, as he will have been perfected forever by God.

• Neo's speech into the phone has aspects of Jesus Christ's last earthly speech that tradition calls the "Great Commission." Neo says he is going to free the people of the Matrix, representing every nation of the world (note that the green code of the Matrix has characters from many languages). Just before His ascent into heaven, Jesus commissioned his followers to go make disciples of all nations.

• Neo victoriously ascends into the sky at the end of the film. After Jesus Christ's ministry on earth was complete, He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9).

• The name "Neo" is an anagram, meaning the letters can be rearranged to make different words. There are three different anagrams possible - a 'trinity' of meanings! 'NEO', 'ONE', and 'EON'.

• "NEO" means 'new', just as Christ says "Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5) and makes a lost person a "new creation" when he trusts Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• "ONE" can refer to Jesus as the promised One, the Messiah - just as Neo was "the One".

• "EON" can be defined as "an indefinitely long period of time," i.e., eternity. Christ is eternal!