I think it is important to note that the
matrix is not you know simply and
straightforwardly Christian I think you
could probably give it a boot ax
streeting you give it kind of a Gnostic
reading but I think there clearly are
Christian overtones and undertones and
implications the minute you mentioned
the Trinity and Zion and neo and the
chosen one you're clearly in a Christian
thought world I don't want to suggest
though that somehow it's exclusively
Christian but I think you can give it
that reading rather well there's a key
point in the plot where Morpheus who's
the representative of the liberated
humanity offers this pilled kneel take
this pill as a sign of your acceptance
of what we're offering to you your
willingness to cooperate with us and he
does and that's what commences the
process of his liberation the church
holds out to us sacraments what are they
well they don't make a lot of sense
within the the ordinary world they're
just these water and oil and bread and
wine and these physical signs but
they're imbued we say with a kind of
invitation from a higher world do you
accept this offer of a higher vision
though you can't see it though it's not
clear to you though a lot of suffering
will be involved are you willing to
surrender to the invitation of a higher
power
well there's baptism there's the
Eucharist there's confession I think neo
at times is reluctant and neo doesn't
fully understand the implications of
what's going on I think he box and he
wonders and he he hesitates can you see
something a bit similar in the Jesus
story though I don't want to stress it
too much but Jesus the Garden of
Gethsemane who who box who wonders who
questions even at the brink of the cross
but then finally surrenders to the
Father's will
I think the taking of the pill by neo is
is kind of a sacramental moment when he
says okay I'm willing to surrender to
the invitation toward a higher world
there's a character called cypher who is
one of the
berated humans mind you when the humans
are liberated from the matrix they don't
move into paradise immediately just the
contrary they move into a very difficult
demanding world the world the matrix is
much more appealing and attractive in
many ways much more sensually
pleasurable once they are freed from
that they go through a kind of a desert
period look in the Bible when the
Israelites escape from Egypt they don't
enter into the Promised Land they have
40 years in the desert that means your
whole psyche and soul is adjusting to
the new world and it takes time well
during this process
people are often tempted to go back
remember in the book of Exodus the
Israelites often say well at least we
had enough food in Egypt that they long
for the fleshpots of Egypt and Moses has
to try to stop them from going back well
here now this character cipher says I
know I'm liberated I know I'm living in
a more real world now but I've got
terrible food to eat I'm uncomfortable
I'm living in this cramped of ship it's
a terrible life he says to the agents of
the matrix take me back take me back
make me a movie star make me a rock star
let me just have a filet mignon to eat I
know it's all an illusion but at least
it's pleasurable
well that's very central now to the
spiritual life we break away from the
fallen world we break away from the
false world and the new world is not
quite there yet so we have to pass
through this period cipher is therefore
kind of a Judas figure he's willing to
cooperate with the powers of darkness
he's willing to go back and he of course
tries to undermine or betray kneel you
know I think maybe a further implication
of the matrix is the whole idea of
mission well on the biblical reading
every one of us who participate in
Christ are offered a mission and the
mission is always the same the mission
is to kristef I the world is to bring
the power of Jesus Christ to the world
well that means to liberate that we were
all given a mission to liberate the
world from its fallen consciousness from
its fallen will from the effects of sin
will we do it I don't know there's the
drama of salvation do you have the
courage and do you have the imagination
to accept this mission I think that's a
very important implication now for
the ordinary believer the first word out
of the mouth of Jesus in Mark's Gospel
is metanoia Tay in the Greek it means go
beyond the mind you have because the two
Greek words are meta and noose beyond
the mind see the implication is there's
something wrong with our minds our way
of seeing our attitude our perspective
so the first thing Jesus says is you
need to go beyond the mind you have and
get a new mind in you st. Paul says may
the same mind be in you that was in
Christ Jesus we'll see that that means
the fallenness of our perceptive
capacities and therefore the false world
produced by the Fallen mind has to be
overcome and that's a lot of what
conversion language means the matrix is
a story of conversion of going beyond a
false mind and moving into the new mind
but that requires a Savior neo therefore
is the Christ figure that opens up this
transformed mind
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