The Nature of Relationships: A Question of Self, Other, God

By Daniel Bryant

This book studies the New Testament texts to determine what faith is all about. As a lay author, he inspects with the conviction that if a relationship with God is not accessible to all persons, then the idea of religion makes little sense. The chapters invite readers to examine what they believe or determine the impact of no belief on their life’s direction. While the author discloses much of his views, it is not an attempt to convert any reader to believe as he does. Whether Christianity is true or not, there is no denying its impact on civilization. Each chapter looks at events in the life of Jesus. Each episode fosters questions about the meaning of life. As Socrates suggested, the reader’s answers will serve to make that life worth living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886443776

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Introduction

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

Episode 31

Episode 32

Episode 33

Episode 34

Episode 35

Episode 36

Episode 37

Episode 38

Episode 39

Episode 40

Episode 41

Episode 42

Episode 43

Episode 44

Episode 45

Episode 46

Episode 47

Episode 48

Episode 49

Episode 50

Episode 51

Episode 52

Episode 53

Episode 54

Episode 55

Episode 56

Episode 57

Episode 58

Episode 59

Episode 60

Episode 61

Episode 62

Episode 63

Episode 64

Episode 65

Episode 66

Episode 67

Episode 68

Episode 69

Episode 70

Episode 71

Episode 72

Episode 73

Episode 74

Episode 75

Episode 76

Episode 77

Episode 78

Episode 79

Episode 80

Episode 81

Episode 82

Episode 83

Episode 84

Episode 85

Episode 86

Episode 87

Episode 88

Episode 89

Episode 90

Episode 91

Episode 92

Episode 93

Episode 94

Episode 95

Episode 96

Episode 97

Episode 98

Episode 99

Episode 100

Episode 101

Episode 102

Episode 103

Episode 104

Episode 105

Episode 106

Episode 107

Episode 108

Episode 109

Episode 110

Episode 111

Acknowledgment

About the Author

cover.jpg

The Nature of Relationships

A Question of Self, Other, God

Daniel Bryant

ISBN 979-8-88644-376-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88644-377-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Daniel Bryant

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

I dedicate this book to my six wonder-filled daughters: Minja, Colleen, Kelly, Gilsoon, Karen, and Pegi; my grandchildren, Anna, Ksenia, Daniel, Alyson, Justin, Alex, Mikayla, Isabella, Enzo, Max, Claire, and Lauren; and my great-grandchildren, Alaria, Jayce and those yet to be gifted with life.

So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

—Jesus Christ

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours; if they don't, they never were.

—Richard Bach

Introduction

Long before I was a disciple of Jesus, I knew I was in the presence of someone special. It is funny to say that he is special because I know he said that same thing about everyone he met, even those who would ultimately cause his death. His relationship with everyone and everything he encountered made him appear to be unique. Jesus has been a lifelong friend, and I began to collect notes of our conversations and the events in his life. Other disciples have added to these stories. It is now a long time after his death. The crowds he attracted during his life have gone to their homes throughout the area. Since his Crucifixion, all that has been said has verified that he was special. When we would talk about Jesus and record his messages, it was easy to talk about the things he did, but it was much more difficult to convey his essence. Many believed he was God and others did not. Each person needs to decide for themselves, and in keeping this journal, I hope to give you the questions that will guide you to answer who he is for you if he is for you.

Those of us who were fortunate to travel with Jesus would meet, almost daily, to discuss what we had witnessed that day and what it meant. In a sense, we were church for each other. Indeed, not everyone in the group fully believed in Jesus. Some may not even have believed in God. Jesus absolutely stressed the importance of faith, but he was surprisingly welcoming to anyone willing to have the conversation and equally compassionate to those who did not accept his message. I think he valued their freedom to choose without being judgmental.

The other disciples, apostles, and I have known each other for most of our lives. The notes I have collected have come from our many conversations. The family histories came from the stories we told one another. I have included discussions attributed to Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. I don't remember whether these were quotes from Jesus or the imaginings of myself and the disciples from the endless conversations we would have after a day's travel. The quotes are plausible, whether actual or imagined, and they are part of our coming to a relationship with this man and his message.

Our discussions always included quotes that we referred to as wisdom quotes. You may choose other more relevant quotes as you explore your relationship with God or in a world without him. If there is a God, all those who knew Jesus came to trust God to find us if we sincerely pondered the question.

We learned that all who search for the answer are a church, whether in meetings, conversations, stories, or full-hearted disagreement. We learned that neither believing in God nor atheism is defendable by reason alone. Each depended on faith in a first premise. The first premise in one case is that there is a God, and in the second case, there is no God. Each had observations that supported their first premise, but faith is the foundation of an individual's choice.

Already, his message is being codified by the leading disciples and apostles. Humans' nature is to create organizations. These channels of wisdom become officialdom, and the future depends on them as a conduit. Still, it is in the community that any church finds life. In a sense, we realized that we, you, and every individual are the church. Plato said that opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. Our group meetings transformed opinion into faith through participation. Participation in our discussions made each individual an essential part of what was shared. I learned that if I don't explore my truth, I become what others think I should be. Not even a creator, who gave us freedom, wants that of us. It seems the antithesis of any authentic relationship.

The lore surrounding my friend Jesus is already overshadowing his humanity. While it is normal, it interferes with the ability to relate to both him and his Father. The essence of what he said and the person saying it get lost in the bureaucracy of any institution charged with preserving it. How can a relationship be attained if these are lost? I remember asking Jesus what we should teach those who came to follow in his footsteps. He said, Teach them what they need to know. I think he was less concerned about errors they might make in the pursuit of God and more aware that they would be turned away by stifling their curiosity. He said you are to plant the seed and trust my Father to nurture its growth. Each person's curiosity is what will bring life to what lies dead in the bureaucracy. Jesus gave us life by making it known that we were essential to creation.

Everyone is more than the messages that are written about them. Jesus is more than his message. To know him requires having a relationship with all that we encounter about him. Relationships are scary because they may change the parties entering into them. Jesus repeatedly counseled each of us to be not afraid. As a disciple, I must invite you to the party. All of us who walk daily on this path are confident that God will find us in our search for truth. If you are among the seekers who do not believe in God, what will you have to lose, especially if a Creator finds you?

Episode 1

God Is a Good Place to Start

I think that people will find a tremendous joy and fulfillment in service to other human beings and that often this is what is missing in their lives.

—Ram Dass

As you might imagine, the disciples spent a lot of time talking about God, so I guess God is as good a place to start the story as anywhere. He's (gender is optional) a part of this story. We would sit after dinner and muse about what God might be thinking. We would get these ideas of the Creator, his Son, and the Spirit. We pictured a conversation between God, the Father, his Son, and the Holy Spirit one evening. Jesus would listen to us chatter and say you are not far from the truth.

At any rate, the Holy Spirit said to the Father, It certainly has all the appearance of chaos. He was talking about the earth. Those humans certainly make some wrong decisions about what it means to be in the image and likeness of God. They interpret freedom as license, which doesn't explain how they understand separation from the source of creation and one another. Look at how humans consider being free as abandonment and individuality as meaning they are in it for themselves."

The Son said, All humans receive life. What they choose to do with life is the question. We know that you're the one who created them, and we know you did it out of love. They should be acting out of love, which is not happening much of the time. Don't they know that love makes them who they are? They must work with love, the Spirit said. It is not happening enough if love is to win over hate. The three persons discussed the problem and what to do.

You left them to their own devices in that garden, and look what happened. Maybe it is time to end your kindness and take away freedom. The Father, almost angrily, said he would not do that. He believed that man could save humankind, and man would have that opportunity and the freedom to achieve it. The Spirit joked that he was undoubtedly stubborn about his belief in humanity, and he replied that it was not blindness but faith in the essence of their creation that would witness man's ultimate success. They live in the image of their Creator. It is love that is at the heart of who they are. Love will prevail. Jesus said to the Spirit, That is the same faith he had in Job, and while there was a lot of suffering, he was right in the end.

In this conversation, the Father said, I have a plan. Get Gabriel and some other angels. My Son, you will be taking the lead on this. Humans believe that we don't care about them because they are free. A philosopher down the road will even claim ‘God is dead.' Nietzsche is his name. They feel that we don't understand their problems, and they are left to fend for themselves. We admitted that all the disciples had felt that way. God said we need to show them that freedom is not the same as abandoning them. The Father said, I have chosen them. They need to choose me, but they are free to go it alone.

This celestial group arranged for the Son to go to earth, not as God but as God and man. They knew that men would dismiss his visit if he went only as a man, and they would not discover who they were if he went only as God. The plan would require that he live the life men lived but do so in a way that showed how God might do it. Being human needed birth, so they had Gabriel tell this young girl in Israel that she would be the mother of God. It would take an angel to say it to her without scaring her to death. Of course, Mary said yes because she always said yes to what she thought God requested of her. The birth of the Son would be the perfect example of God and man acting in sync with one another. I am sure that God looked at the birth of his Son and said, as he had about creation in Genesis, It is good. Our group bet he says that about every delivery because each is a unique act of creation.

Sometimes we would spend all night thinking about how God interacted in the world. We finished our discussion that night by having Gabriel talk to Mary's betrothed and put his mind at ease that his betrothed was to bear the Son of God. That would take care of all the necessary details to stage the event to remind humankind that each person is born in God's image. Born in the image of God means that men are the creatures through whom God's plans and purposes can be made known and actualized. Humans, in this way, can be seen as cocreators with God. Christ is a celebration of the fact that we are creating the world, and his Son was to be the example of making the best possible world.

I seriously missed these conversations after the Crucifixion of Jesus until I realized the whole of my life, of every person's life, is about answering the question about whether or not there is a God and that every life is a testimony to their answer. Life is one continuous conversation.

Episode 2

Make Way for the Child

A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty.

—Unknown

Mary could hear Joseph grumbling in the workshop. He was saying, Why does this always come at the wrong time? I have so much work to do. I have to get ready for a child who some ghost fathered. [Sorry, God]. Now I have to go on a ninety-mile hike with a woman swollen with a child to do a census so that they can tax me. Hearing him mumble these blasphemies, Mary chuckled to herself. As young couples do, they often joked about the events in their lives. Indeed, it was a unique birth, but that is true for every couple who grows in awareness of parenthood's adventure. Millions had had this adventure before Joseph and Mary, but that did not make it less perfect or new or original. The grumbling and joking were their way of balancing the mystery and majesty of life with the complications of living it.

The grumbling did not impede Joseph's preparation. His trade had taught him to be a practical man. He was a realist and knew that the ninety-mile trip to Judea might include freezing nights and even rain. It could take a week for a family to get there without a pregnant wife. It would take more than a week for this necessary trip. What was it the older men said about death and taxes? He had talked to all his customers and told them what to do and who to call. He was ready. He had better hurry his wife along because he wanted to go as far as possible early in the trip and while they had their strength. Mary was ready, and in seeing her, Joseph knew without words how much he loved her and how fortunate he was to be living this shared adventure. They were off on an experience that would change their lives, that would change the lives of all humankind. Travel was enough burden without fully realizing the impact of their trip. They both knew and did not know. Perhaps all lives are like that.

Traveling in rural Israel is easy and challenging at the same time. It is difficult because it was the rainy season, and it is possible to get one of those rare downpours that will wash the roads out from under you. They were lucky not to have any rain. The nights were in the forties and even got close to freezing two evenings. It was cold and seemed frigid when you were on the road with a family. The terrain was often difficult to traverse, but Mary, who had good reason, never complained. Joseph admitted he was not as good as she. He was apprehensive and would grumble, and she would smile at him. Her smile washed over him like a breath of fresh air that brought a warm peace and calm as it passed. He knew he had made the right decision to join his life with hers. He wondered if life could be any better than this, and then he would glance at that not-so-small bump at her waist and knew that it would. His revelry was often interrupted by the prospect of possible danger from wild animals in forested areas or of bandits who were known to ply their trade on these roads.

It wasn't all worry, though. They would stay in a friend's spare room or with a welcoming stranger on most nights. The women in the house would fuss over Mary, which, of course, delighted both of them. The men would joke and tease him mercilessly about how his life would change with the dawn of a new child. They asked if he wanted a boy or a girl, and he would say that it didn't matter, but somehow, both Mary and he knew it would be a boy. The other men would say that their wives also had these premonitions.

By all accounts, the journey was an extraordinary intrusion on the monotony of everyday life. But as Joseph would say, we met wonderful new friends and renewed relationships with relatives and acquaintances. The last night, the night Jesus was born, was more than a little hectic. It was festival time, and all the hostels were full. They looked everywhere, and the child was signaling to Mary that he would no longer delay his coming to earth.

Mary, who is this Son of ours? Joseph wondered about his relationship with God and what it is all about. As he eased into sleep, he thought this birth might well be a time to visualize God's presence among humans.

Episode 3

The Road to Bethlehem

You never understand life until it grows inside of you.

—Sandra Chami Kassis

At night, Mary and Joseph would drift into sleep, remembering the day's gifts. Mary had a fondness for birds that started when she was a child and continued through her life. She made Joseph stop so they could listen to the sound of the laughing dove. It was a delight to hear. However, the sound of the barn owl on the second night had repeatedly awakened Joseph. There were too many beautiful birds to count. They both spoke of the partridge and the hoopoe they spied. It was exciting for Mary because the trees were full of birds she would not usually see as they were now migrating from other colder areas.

Joseph was fascinated by rock formations, and some days, they would go a mile or two out or the way to study some sight that they could not recognize from the road. On one such excursion, Joseph found a grove of trees that he said would be perfect for the furniture he was making for that wealthy merchant. Joseph would make a note to return to the site or send someone to see if he could purchase the wood. It made Mary happy to see him smile at these discoveries, and it made the side trips easy to include in their adventure.

Toward the end of the second day on the trip, they did have one troublesome encounter. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans was fierce and long-standing. While taking a side trip, a Samaritan came to their site, grabbed a bag of supplies, and ran off into the wood. When Joseph noticed the theft, the boy was far out into the wooded area. Joseph would not leave Mary alone in Samaria, and so it seemed the supplies were lost.

Returning to the trail, they met an older Samaritan man with the boy who had stolen the goods. The boy looked terrified, and the man said, We do not tolerate stealing in our family. My boy has something he wants to say to you before you take him to the police. The father shook the boy's shoulder, and the lad immediately apologized. The teenager shuddered at hearing those words, and Mary said, I am sure we can find a more suitable way to deal with the incident. The father told the boy it was his lucky day.

The man said, My name is John, and this is my son John.

Joseph introduced himself and Mary, and John said, We insist on making this up to you. Allow us to guide you through this sometimes-hostile part of Samaria. If you are going to Bethlehem, it will save you a day, and it will allow us to atone for our transgression.

They talked as they walked, and John said this hostility between Jews and Samaritans was senseless. Joseph agreed wholeheartedly. It came to pass that the man and the boy went five miles out of their way to make up for the theft. Mary later told Joseph that kindness is a much better solution to injustice than revenge. Both hoped there would be no fighting between the ethnic groups by the time Jesus was an adult.

Both Mary and Joseph were hikers, and so the walking would have been a breeze but for the fact that Mary's feet would swell because of her pregnancy. Each night, she was overwhelmed by the kindness of those they visited who would prepare tubs of hot water where she could bathe and rest her feet. She prayed each night that God would reward their kindness and did so with absolute faith that he would as he always rewarded compassion.

The meals were a testimony to Judean hospitality. Dinners had hot soups with lentils, barley, or both and always with garlic or other spices. The freshly baked bread was perfect for mopping up the bowls or dipping in rich olive oils. All the meals were on tables that held apricots, figs, melons, and of course, olives.

Each morning, the couple left on their journey with lots of food from whichever house they had visited. Each day, Joseph told Mary that what he thought would be a burden was turning out to be a vacation. Indeed, there were difficulties, but they were always awash in the joys of friendship and even love. Hospitality was in the Israeli psyche. It seemed as though everyone was a surrogate parent to the impending birth. Each person embodied responsibility for life. It appeared all people were responsible for every life. All humanity seemed united.

Mary and Joseph would talk about these things as they walked. Did it seem reasonable to be in a world with Jews, Samaritans, Romans, rabbis, and prostitutes? When you mixed this conglomeration and seasoned it with law, freedom, love, and forgiveness, who was this family to be? How could they be anything but a holy family? Joseph spoke of learning the Torah at the temple and with other men. Mary talked of how her mother had given food to Samaritans and prostitutes. Her mother would mold her with comments like, The law is God's law only when it is just. And God gave us freedom and cautioned us not to judge. Joseph would talk about his family's rigidity. He mused that there was not enough space for compassion in their worldview to drive it in with a hammer. As they walked to Bethlehem, they wondered who God was in their lives. Each time they had one of these chats, they would acknowledge how much closer they felt to him and each other and how wonderful it would be to share this love with their child.

Episode 4

Oh, Holy Night

It's a great thing for a man to walk on the moon. But it's a greater thing for God to walk on the earth.

—Neil Armstrong

Stunned best described the shepherds, as they sat speechless about the fire after the angels had left. They had never had a night like this. Indeed, they expected a messiah, but he was to be a king. But the coming of angels spoke of something far mightier than a worldly king. They knew Israel was the home of a chosen people and that God favored the Israelites, but what had just happened spoke to something far more significant than even a mighty king. Though nervous, they had to go to Bethlehem and see what was happening. The trip was what the angels had called them to do. They agreed that they had no choice but to seek God's promise in whatever form and shape. They were a part of something huge. The angels directed them to find God.

And when they arrived, they found a man, woman, and child in a manger. Even Mary and Joseph were awed and a little astonished by the shepherds and their excitement. They chattered about the sight of the angels. Every mother knows that their child's birth is unique. Still, the entire countryside coming together to celebrate her child's birth caused her to muse about what God intended for this particular birth.

Then there were the wise men who came bearing expensive gifts. They also warned about what Herod the King had asked of them and the warning they had received from angels. Mary sensed that God chose this child to be extraordinary. Perhaps all mothers do. Maybe all mothers should. But being exceptional always comes at a risk. What is different is feared with or without reason. The future is an arena of not knowing, but Mary trusted that God had committed the life of this child to her and Joseph's care, and trusting God was enough. That, too, would be a message of the meaning of this day.

The crib was in a stable a little beyond the edge of town. Usually, it would have gone unnoticed because of its location and because people were gathering in the city to participate in the festival celebration. Tonight, however, the reverse was true. Well-wishers were streaming from the city to share whatever was happening at the meager shelter. Even the innkeepers who had denied them admittance came by with food and blankets. Mary mused that babies open even the most closed hearts. Perhaps it is because they are so vulnerable. Possibly it is because they are the epitope of promise. Conceivably, it was part of God's plan to come to earth in this most vulnerable state to illustrate that every person's life is valuable regardless of wealth and status. Joseph wondered on this day that would come to be known as Christmas if it was a message about all men's equality. Indeed, it was a message about how wonderful life could be when people came together to support each other.

Thinking of the Magi's warning, Joseph realized that every life, even for the newborn, will contain real and perceived dangers. It would be the case for this seemingly harmless infant. Who knows what causes one individual to threaten another? Life also holds treasures. I am sure it was not on the new parents' minds at this celebration of new life. After all, they came to the event with nothing and here received treasures. Life at that moment was the gift that God gave. Perhaps all was given by God, and Joseph thought Mary was right to be trusting him. And look, in a strange town with no available accommodation, they had an entire surrounding community, people and animals, doting over their boy. As they fell into a sleep that evening, each thought, God is good. Life is good when people come together.

The couple prayed, Lord, as we hold this child, it seems so clear that we have a role in the future, his future. You have given us life, and life is a possibility, and with our hope is responsibility. It is in our hearts, but our hands depend on your guidance. The comingling of the shepherds and the wise men is enough to hint at what is possible. It is always in birth, isn't it, Lord? And yet it is in each of us to be reborn with each yes we say to your call. Open our ears, open our hearts, cleanse us so that we may be a conduit of the unity we feel tonight. What is power if we use it to destroy one another? What is wealth if we spend our days worried about its loss?

Mary and Joseph dozed, hoping their lives would be a daily nativity of giving birth to the will of the Creator personified in their acts of love.

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