Was Old Man Marley Actually Jesus? Viral ‘Home Alone’ Theory Makes A Convincing Case

A Christmas conspiracy theory.

Christmas is right around the corner, which means that many of us are queuing up our favorite holiday films. From A Christmas Story and White Christmas to The Grinch and The Polar Express, there are many films that families enjoy as a part of their holiday tradition.

And another one that we cannot fail to mention is the film that Macaulay Culkin is best known for, Home Alone. The famed 1990 film was written and produced by John Hughes, who got the idea from a personal fear of leaving his own kids behind. Director Chris Columbus brought the idea to life, following Kevin McCallister’s trials and tribulations as he navigates his newfound freedom after being accidentally left behind for a family vacation.

However, Kevin quickly becomes frightened by his next-door neighbor, Old Man Marley, who was rumored to be a serial killer nicknamed the “South-Bend Shovel Slayer” who allegedly murdered his own family. When things couldn’t get worse for Kevin, a pair of thieves, Harry and Marv, who go by the “Wet Bandits,” begin to prospect the McCallister home to break into it.

While Kevin fought off their attempts for some time, eventually Harry and Marv made their move on the home, but were surprised to find that Kevin had rigged it with booby traps. While Kevin inflicted several injuries on the men, it was not enough for them not want to get revenge on the boy for ruining their heist. However, the scary Old Man Marley intervenes, knocks them out with his snow shovel, and, in the end, everyone is safe and reunited with family on Christmas Day.

Of course, this is the short and sweet synopsis of the holiday classic.

While I am sure many readers are familiar with the film, the movie has recently been getting some attention because Christian creators have shared that they believe one character in the film embodies Jesus Christ. Of course, Christian allegory is nothing new, with CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe being one of the prime examples, but I have never made the connection with Home Alone before.

Director Zane O’Gwin recently shared with his friend and filmmaker Jack Mergist that he believes Old Man Marley represents Jesus Christ. In a viral clip, O’Gwin asks his friend if he’s thought about how Jesus is in Home Alone. Mergist questions if Jesus was literally shown in the film or if this is a symbolic reference.

“Symbolically. Old Man Marley is the symbol of Jesus. The first time we see the old man, what is he doing?”

O’Gwin says and questions his friend.

“He’s salting. He’s salting the sidewalks.”

Correct. O’Gwin continues his theory, pulling footage from the film as he lays out the supporting evidence.

“He’s out serving the people. The second he shows up is when Kevin is doing this kind of outward talking to himself. Almost like a prayer. Right? And he says, ‘I’m not afraid anymore!’ Who shows up? Old Man Marley shows up. He runs away because he’s scared. That’s rejection number two.

Now, the third time, this is when it gets really good. The third time we see him, the old man shows up in the convenience store, and Kevin’s trying to buy a toothbrush. He is signaled by a bell, and a bell represents?”

Jack Mergist chimes in, saying it represents an angel getting its wings.

“So he’s been symbolized with heavenly things. The old man shows up, puts his hand on the top of the counter. We see a shot through the glass of his palm…You see his palm bloody. Rejection number three. Now it’s becoming almost undeniable who Marley represents. The next time we see him, Kevin’s in the church, and he sees Old Man Marley. Now, this is so amazing. While the choir is singing ‘O Holy Night,’ they sing ‘Fall on your knees.’ What does the old man do? He stands up because he is to be worshiped; he is not the worshiper.

Then there’s a long beat. The choir says, ‘O hear the angel’s voices,’ and that’s the first time the old man speaks in the film, and he says, ‘Merry Christmas.’ They have this wonderful conversation that we’ll talk about in a minute. But it ends with Old Man Marley shaking Kevin’s hand, and we see a tight shot of a band-aid on the back of his hand. Now we’ve seen the front that’s been damaged, and now we see the front, so we know that he has been pierced through.

Now fast forward to the end of the movie. Kevin’s called the cops. He runs into the neighbor’s house. He goes down to the basement. Here we see the hero’s journey. Kevin is reborn; he literally runs through water and rises up, becoming a new creature. The bad guys catch him, and they hang him—another symbol.

And who saves Kevin? Literally the savior of Kevin, and he (Old Man Marley) represents Jesus in ‘Home Alone.’

Now we go to the end of the movie, and Kevin’s looking through the window, through the snow, beautiful music, and we see Old Man Marley hugging his son. Earlier from the conversation at the church, the old man is lamenting. He’s saying, ‘I’m not welcome with my son.’ Now we have reconciliation with God and his children. That is the Christmas story.

That is one of the reasons I love movies. Symbols and parables hidden in plain sight for all to see, and a filmmaker who uses that power for good, it’s a beautiful thing.”

While Zane O’Gwin passionately talks about this revelation he’s had, and you, as the viewer, believe that Jack Mergist will agree with him given the cinematic revelation they included in the footage, in the end, Mergist says that he sees where O’Gwin is coming from, but is not sure it’s entirely accurate.

While I am sure that some of the reaction is there for cinematic value, remember these two guys are creatives, with one being a director and the other being a filmmaker, it shows how people will view things differently based on their beliefs. It does feel like Christians can be especially prone to reading Christian themes into artistic works where none was really intended, but I suppose that comes with the subjective nature of the arts.

All the points O’Gwin makes are quite compelling, especially when he brings it back to the Bible’s Christmas story in the end. If you look at it through that lens with the Word of the Lord beside it, there are many, many parallels.

Regardless of whether you believe this ties back to Christian beliefs, or that was the original intent, Old Man Marley does, without a doubt, represent that we should never judge a book by its cover and that Kevin was never really alone. The idea of Kevin never being alone, however, does tie back to Christian values that the Lord is always watching over and guiding you.

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Zane O’Gwin and Jack Mergist are not the only creators who see the parallels between Old Man Marley and Jesus.

Popular pastor, Josh Howerton, a senior pastor at Dallas’ Lakepointe Church, sat down to talk about the viral theory online, specifically the church scene:

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Josh Howerton’s initial video commenting on Zane O’Gwin and Jack Mergist’s post went so well that he made another post sharing some of the theories that his podcast viewers had been sleuthing on, with one listener sharing that the two creators of Home Alone are devout Catholics.

This viewer also shared the original script of the movie, which included the scene between Kevin and Old Man Marley in the church, where Marley encourages Kevin to talk to the Lord and share his trials and tribulations with the big man upstairs.

Check it out:

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All in all, I think this is a really neat perspective surrounding Old Man Marley’s character, and whether this was intentional or not, there is a lot of Christian symbolism in the film.

Home Alone is a Christmas classic that reminds us all of the importance of family and how they are redeemed through forgiveness.

Before you go, check out seven lessons that Kevin McCallister’s character taught us.

The post Was Old Man Marley Actually Jesus? Viral ‘Home Alone’ Theory Makes A Convincing Case first appeared on Whiskey Riff.