Jesus in the Matrix

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2002)

I am a fan of 'The Matrix', despite the fact that I don't like Keanu Reeves, and very much enjoy watching it. I find it to be a very interesting story with parallels to many other stories and historical figures. What most interested me in this story was that I found some very striking parallels to the life story of Jesus Christ
There were many characters who I thought paralleled characters in the story of Jesus' life. First of all, Neo is much like Jesus himself, being 'the one' who many are waiting for, 'the one' who will save the human race from bondage. There are also many prophecies made about Neo before his time, just as there were prophecies made about Jesus. Morpheus played a role very similar to John the Baptist, preparing the way for 'the one', coming before him, and having faith in Neo/Jesus by realizing how powerful he really is. The crew on the Nebachadnezzer is much like the followers of Jesus, or the deciples, with one specific character standing out: Cypher. Cypher betrays Neo just as Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.
Other very noticeable parallels to the story of Jesus include the part were Neo comes back to life after being killed by the agents, which is like the resurrection of Jesus. Neo triumphed over death and the Matrix; Jesus triumphed over sin and death. The Agents themselves seem to be like demons, who are the agents of the devil. Also, the faceplate on the core of the Nebachadnezzer says Mark III VI. In the Bible, Mark 3:11 (NIV) reads, `When ever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, 'You are the Son of God.' ' This is in reference to Jesus (him), and could very well be foreshadowing for Neo in the way he will control the agents in the movie.
There are many more parallels that can be drawn, some biblical, some non-biblical. I do not think 'The Matrix' to be an exact depiction of Jesus' life, nor do I know what the Wachowski brothers had in mind when they made this movie. I simply found these parallels to make the movie very interesting to watch.