Neo/Jesus Comparison

At some point before the action of the film begins a man was born inside of The Matrix who became aware of the situation and somehow managed to free himself and others. When he died, it was prophesied that he would return and that his coming would bring an end to the war and free humanity. As The Matrix begins, a man named Morpheus believes that he

There is great religious significance in this movie, especially parallels between the film’s characters and figures from the Bible. A natural interpretation would find that Neo (the films hero), is a direct association with Jesus Christ. Early in the film, Morpheus announces to Neo that he is “the One,” which is an anagram of N-e-o (Fontana 4). So what’s in a name? Matthew 1:23 states, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (NIV). Christ was also referred to as “Son of Man,” “the Christ of God,” “His Chose One,” and a host of other names. Neo will be the one who is able to defeat the matrix and free humanity. In the matrix, Neo is referred to as Thomas Anderson. The name “Thomas” can be linked to “Doubting Thomas,” in that Neo never really believed that he was the one ( ). “Anderson” is a play on “Son of Man,” where the ‘Ander-‘ finds its origins in the New Testament Greek root ‘andros’ meaning man (). Christ was often referred to as the “Son of Man.” “Neo,” means new, and that was exactly why Neo was outside the matrix and knowing what the matrix was, inside of it, trying to make it new. “Neo” Anderson is the New Son of Man.

“And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus” (NIV Matthew 1:24-25). The Matrix never explicitly tells the audience how a child is born while all humans are enslaved in enclosed sacs but Neo is, “literally born into the real world from the womblike incubator that he’s existed in all his life: (). Even the imagery of the birth is symbolic. Neo is cut off from his cords and slides down a chute into the real world.

At the end of the movie, Neo hangs up a telephone after telling the Artificial Intelligence that this is the beginning of a world with no boundaries and no border; then he “ascends” into the sky. “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19, NIV).

In the scene following Morpheus’ safe escape, Neo comes face-to-face with Agent Smith. They dual in a subway station and then Neo tries to escape. Upon entering a room, Neo is shot. He falls and dies. “…for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40, NIV). “Since it would not be possible within the plot of the film to have Neo dead for three days, this symbolic visual cue is all the film needs to provide to alert the audience members to the significance of this momentary death” (). Like Jesus, Neo comes back to life. He is changed within this moment and is able to do amazing things. “The post-resurrection Neo is able to do tings that were unimaginable in his former life such as stopping bullets with a command, jumping inside and agent’s body and exploding it, and ascending into the sky at will. We know that the risen Neo is “imperishable” because there is nothing that the agents can do to hurt him” (). Matthew 28:18 states, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

has found “the One” who was promised by the Oracle. The rest of the film is devoted to testing this belief.

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