The Matrix is a Modern Parable about Our Position in Society Today

While everyone is bittering about who Actor Keanu Reeves is dating, we are a part of the Soul Squad so our job is to think higher and deeper.

Today I was reminded of Reeves’s role as Neo in the 1999 classic blockbuster, The Matrix. If you haven’t seen the movie it’s a literal MUST watch. Even if you have seen The Matrix, I think you might need to watch it again as a refresher course, because in this post I totally reimagine the narrative.

Here I will attempt to explain how The Matrix is really a Christian illustration or parable about  finding your purpose on earth and leaving life’s matrix.

This post is total spoiler alert, so if you haven’t watched The Matrix check it out on Netflix.

Characters Reimagined

Allow me to reimagine each character in The Matrix using biblical symbolism.

Neo: The character Neo represents two ideas- a person without purpose seeking salvation and Jesus Christ.
When we met Neo he is a young guy who creates and sales hacking software by night but is an average cooperate Joe by day. Neo’s real name is Thomas Anderson (which is significant, we will discuss this later). Neo is a smart guy who feels there is more to life.

Morpheus: Morpheus is the person who awakens Neo from his soul slumber. Most importantly, Morpheus is the symbolic version of God.

Trinity: Trinity is a cool chick who is a part of Neo’s new life after awakening and becomes his love interest. Trinity’ character is a symbolic representation of the love the flows from the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is God divided into three persons that are one- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The Oracle: The Oracle is an ancient woman who sees the future and imparts wisdom. The Oracle also represents the Holy Spirit.

Agent Smith/ The Agents: The Agents and Agent Smith represent Satan and his demons. They like, Lucifer, come to steal kill and destroy. Their weapons of choice are technology, distraction, and earthly pleasures much like our reality today.

Cypher: Cypher is a crew member that is supposed to be on the good side fighting with along with Morpheus and Trinity for the freedom of humanity. However, Cypher betrays the crew and becomes the Judas figure. Like Judas betrays
Jesus for the love of money, Morpheus and Neo are portrayed by Cypher for the comforts of a false reality.

The Matrix Plot Reimagined

So Neo is the Christ figure/a person seeking purpose and salvation. Neo’s real name is Thomas which is significant. Thomas in the Bible, often called ‘Doubting Thomas’, famously did not believe Jesus rose from the dead until he touched the injuries on Christ’s body after Jesus’s resurrection (John 20).

During his off hours, Thomas makes computer hacking software under the moniker Neo. The name Neo also has significance because it means, new”. Jesus biblically is called the new covenant (Hebrews 9:15). Under the new covenant, we are no longer under the law, but saved by the gift of grace that was brought on by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:14)

Neo, like many people today, feels that there is something out there. Something that would give him greater purpose than the American Dream and cooperate America. One night, as Neo sleeps by his computer screen the text “Neo, Wake Up.” appears on his monitor. In scripture there is the concept of being spiritually asleep, where one is unaware of his/her purpose or of salvation through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 5:14).

Neo wakes and there is a knock his door. An underground customer comes to pick-up the software Neo created. The customer thanks Neo by saying, “Hallelujah, You’re my savior, Man. My own personal Jesus Christ.” This line was foreshadowing Neo’s true identity.

A series of events unfold, and Neo meets Morpheus. Morpheus is the God figure who has been watching Neo his entire life and knows that Neo is the Savior or at least the person who will save humanity. As a matter of fact, Morpheus needs Neo to help him save the only remaining human city called Zion. Biblically, Zion is often thought of as both a spiritual and physical place where people who believe in God reside.

During their meeting, Morpheus starts to tell Neo things about the matrix. Neo, in true doubting Thomas form, has a hard time believing some of the things that Morpheus/God is saying. Again, understand that Neo’s character is not just a representation of Jesus, but also of a regular person struggling to believe.

Morpheus gives Neo two choices the path or the world and the path of salvation in the form of the red or blue pill. If Neo choses the blue pill he will fall back into soul slumber and only enjoy the pleasures of the world. If Neo choses the red pill he will wake up to the possibilities of righteous power, his true identity in Christ, and salvation from a sinful world. Biblically, God sets before us “life and good, or death and destruction” (Deuteronomy 30:15), just as Morpheus did for Neo.

Neo takes the red pill and choses the path of good. Just as in scripture when people chose the path of Christ, they must be born again (John 3). In the movie, Neo is shown going through a birth sequence.

Neo is born again, then leaves a type of birth canal with water. The birth is symbolic for being a born-again Christian, while the waters represent the purification of baptism.

After his new birth, Neo is weak and slain before God/Morpheus. Neo confesses to God/ Morpheus that his eyes hurt. Morpheus responds, “You never used them before.” There are several scriptures about being spiritually blind.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the verse says, “In their case the god of the world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”. In the Bible, “the god of the world” is Satan. In The Matrix, “the god of the world” is Agent Smith and his fellow agents.

When Neo becomes stronger, he learns that years ago artificial intelligence or technology in general, became too powerful and started to overthrow humanity. Instead of humans using technology, technology began to use humans.

Doesn’t that ring a bell? There was a time were humans used technology for our own convenience, now it seems we have become addicted and paralyzed by the use of the smart phone and other technologies. Many people are even losing their jobs to technological advances such as the self-check-out system, automated voice services, music streaming, and online purchasing.

When Neo has mostly recovered, he also learns that everything he thought was real was only a computer simulation created to deceive people called the matrix. He begins training so that he can soon enter back into the matrix to defeat Smith and his fellow agents/Satan and his demons.

When Neo starts the training process he learns from Morpheus/God that the real battle is not flesh and blood, but actually in the mind. I have written an entire article about the battlefield being in the mind as a spiritual concept. Click here to check it out.

Morpheus/God believes that Neo is the savior that they have been waiting on to save Zion, the only human city still in existence. Morpheus/God takes Neo to the Oracle so that Neo can learn if he really is the savior of Zion.

When Jesus ascended back to heaven after his resurrection, he left believers with a comforter called the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit is the inner Godly wisdom that guides believers in a still small voice with directions on what to do in all situations. In The Matrix, the Oracle represents the Holy Spirit and Neo visits her.

After Neo’s visit with the Oracle, He along with Trinity, Morpheus, and their other friends – who I like to think of as apostles- try to enter back to their ship called the Nebuchadnezzar (which is also a biblical reference from the book of Daniel). Little do they know, their friend Cypher has betrayed them.

Cypher asked Smith and his agents/ Satan and his demons to put him back into a soul slumber so he can enjoy the wine of the world. In return, Cypher his willing to betray his friends so the Smith agents can have access to Zion. Cypher is the Judas figure who gave Jesus up to the Roman soldiers for thirty pieces of silver.

Many things happen and Neo becomes the sacrificial lamb to save Zion and Morpheus. Neo briefly dies, but he is resurrected by a kiss from Trinity. Trinity is a girl who is spiritually awakened and is on the side of Morpheus/God, but she actually represents the Holy Trinity.

The Holy Trinity is comprised of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Trinity has Morpheus (God) as a pseudo-father, the Oracle (Holy Ghost) told her she would fall in love with The One/Savior, and Neo (Jesus/the Son) so happens to be the Savior she falls for.

Trinity is the only character who is defined by her relationship with Morpheus, Neo, and the Oracle. This suggests that she is indeed a representation of The Holy Trinity. The number one attribute of God is love. Trinity also represents love.

She is the most caring of all the shipmates. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for the salvation of the world. Trinity’s love is what saves Neo just as the love of the Holy Trinity is what saves the world.

The movie ends with Neo stronger than ever and fully ascertained that he is The One- the savior of the world and a soul with great value to humanity.

The Matrix is a Parable

Often Jesus spoke in parables and The Matrix is a modern parable. Currently, we are living in the matrix.

Technology is taking over, many people are overly dependent on food, sex, and substances, and are living without a purpose. More than ever, millions are fighting with distraction, depression, and anxiety. While we stuffer, Satan is smiling.

Satan like the Smith agents has sat all these things in motion on earth so we will never learn the true purpose God has for our lives.

However, God’s plan is to free us from the matrix of existence into an exciting life of purpose, salvation and an eternity with Jesus Christ.

The catch is God is a firm believer in free-will, so the choice is yours:

Take the blue pill and stay asleep, distracted and depressed, or take the red pill which is symbolic of the blood of Jesus and accept a life of purpose and fulfillment.

The choice is yours, chose wisely.