"Bob Dylan Movie - 'A Complete Unknown" - by Rev. Weldon Bares
A movie about Bob Dylan will be released on Christmas Day. The film stars Timothee Chalamet as the young Dylan and is entitled “A Complete Unknown.”
Over the years, Bob Dylan has had so many hits and amazing songs. In 2016, he became the first writer of songs to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have seen Bob in concert three times.
One of my favorite songs by Bob Dylan is “Like A Rolling Stone.” He sang: “How does it feel? To be on your own? With no direction home. A complete unknown. Like a rolling stone?”
Jesus told a story about a troubled young man who demanded his inheritance and ran away from home. Soon he was homesick and hopeless. At the end of his rope, he was lost on his own, a complete unknown. The story is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.
The turning point of the story is found in verse 17: “But he came to himself . . .” He finally woke up at the end of his rope and realized how foolish he had been. He decided to go back home.
His father had never given up on his son. He was looking for him down the road. When he saw him coming back home, he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. He welcomed his prodigal son back home and even threw a party to celebrate, saying, “My son was dead, but now he is alive.”
Jesus told this story to remind us that God is like that father. God never gives up on us. God is always looking for us to come home to Him. And when we do, God will throw His arms around us, and there will be a celebration in Heaven!
Don’t ever forget. We might feel like a complete unknown, but God knows us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.
https://casinoohnehandynummer.com came to mind reading your comparison between the prodigal son and Dylan's lyric, since that line about being "on your own with no direction home" really does capture the same lostness the parable describes. The detail about the father running down the road before his son even arrived stuck with me most, because that image of God already watching and waiting changes how I read the "came to himself" moment. I've always found that story hits harder when framed through ordinary songs and movies rather than sermons, so tying it to a Christmas release feels like a smart way to reach people who would never pick up a commentary.