Brothers and Brothels: Knock and the Door Will Be Opened
Bonus Article: Travel Writing
The Amsterdam I know no longer exists, in fact, it hasn’t for over a century.
During our stay we got to see the work of one of the city’s most famous residents, Rembrandt. Perhaps his greatest piece, the Night Watch, was undergoing major surgery during our stay. Protective layers, added a few decades ago, were decaying and in need of replacement. The work has been laborious, but fruitful. The painting sat behind a 30 metre wide panel of bullet-proof glass, and was covered in complex contraptions. Why? The Night Watch has suffered multiple attacks since it first went on display, both with chemicals and with weapons. This has rendered the art conservators’ work fraught with danger. How does one de- and re-lacquer a four-hundred year old, damaged painting, whilst keeping the structural integrity intact?
Slowly, and carefully.
The city itself felt much like the painting. The buildings are slowly sinking into the ground due to unstable foundations, and as a result many are leaning to one side or another.
The Café de Sluyswacht is one such building. The locals call it the cheapest bar on the Amstel because it is so wonky that you feel drunk the moment you enter. Others call the wonkiness a safety measure, saying that if you drink enough that the bar makes sense and looks straight, go home.
The bar is held up with wooden beams, both inside and outside of the building!
When did my Amsterdam disappear?
Travellers rarely meet their destinations as they are, but arrive with a host of preconceptions and memories. Some of these are their own, and some have been adopted vicariously.
On the one hand, I was constantly taken aback by the beauty of the city. I had no idea how stunning it would be. Amsterdam sits just below sea-level, surrounded by dams that keep the city safe. The way the buildings seem to move and sway though, gave the impression that Amsterdam was in fact underwater. Just look at the photo below, with barely a straight line in sight.
On the other hand, my preconceptions came from theological giants like Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck1, and Klaas Schilder. To me, the Netherlands was home to some of the most significant theological leaders of the last couple of centuries, and yet, that’s not the Amsterdam I found.
As wonderful as the city was—and as much as we would love to return one day—the image of nine red doorways will forever remain my lasting memory of the place.
Amsterdam, a Microcosm of the World
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
— Matthew 7:7-8, ESVUK
The image above might look like one structure, but in fact there are two. The first you will likely recognise as a church building, built as a beacon of hope to sailors and citizens alike. The second is a brothel, built on the same foundations as the church, and into its walls. You could easily write the words, “Knock and the door will be opened to you,” above any of the doors leading into either building. Both promise a loving embrace, an escape from the loneliness of life, and the satiation of one’s needs.
Everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
I’ve thought a lot about those red doors, and about the men who stepped through them. How many went past them intending to seek God, and stumbled into the enemy’s grasp instead? It makes me wonder what might be built around the walls of our churches today? Which footholds has the devil carved into them? How many falter before they reach our doorstep?
The Amsterdam I know no longer exists, in fact, maybe it never did.
Maybe the world is the world, and we should never pretend otherwise. Perhaps, we should leave our preconceptions at the door when we leave; and when we pass by other doors, no matter what colour they are, we might pray for those on the other side.
Many will arrive wonky, and on sinking foundations. Others will have pasted themselves with false layers of varnish, hoping to hide the brokenness beneath. It won’t be easy to help them, it might take years, and some tears. It will be worth it though. Let’s watch in the night, and point people towards the day when all will be made new.
Grace and Peace,
P.S. A big thanks to for encouraging me to do this again after my last piece of travel writing.
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I got to see Bavinck’s house while I was there!
Very insightful article. Thank you. Great photo! Keep up the good work friend.
"Drink enough to see straight" love it! Tis certainly a sobering sight that image of the church, does show in the realest sense the spiritual warfare we come up against as we pursue God, thanks for highlighting this, is very important to be ever aware!