What do Moses, Bob Dylan, and Jesus have in common?

Bob Dylan, a folk singer original who when he burst on the scene garnered legions of devoted fans. He literally electrified his loyal following when he plugged in his guitar and played an electric set at Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Dylan asked a lot of questions in one of his early songs that all had the same answer.

Blowin' In The Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Copyright © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music

Dylan would later comment on this song by saying, "You gotta figuring out what the wind is first." Perhaps at the core of Dylan's own early questions is this longing for something more, something better, something that can only be found in the God who created the wind.

In John 3, Jesus has an interesting encounter with Nicodemus in which Jesus talks about the answers that can be found in the wind, but nevertheless, that is where the answer lies. What makes Jesus' statement even more interesting is that in Greek and Hebrew, the word used for "the spirit of God" or "the Holy Spirit" is the same word that can be translated as wind.

John 3:5-8 (New Living Translation)

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

I find it strange and yet in keeping with the Jesus of the New Testament that he says just like you can't explain the wind and how it blows, you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit. Perhaps that's a critique of our churches and traditions that say being born again is through baptism, saying a prayer, walking an aisle, having the 2nd blessing of the Holy Spirit, going through a class, or keeping the Law. It seems that as elusive as the wind is, Jesus is saying so too is the work of God in people's lives. It's not something to be contained and dispensed as seen appropriate like a vat of ketchup at your favorite fast food establishment.

Rather as Jesus goes on to say in chapter 3 of John, the real work of the Holy Spirit is manifested when Jesus who was raised up on a pole, like the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up, is seen for who he truly is...the Son of God making a relationship to his Father possible for you and for me. That is the answer that is "blowin' in the wind."