Ben Oostdam story # 347OF BANKS AND CHURCHES
| On February 13, 2008 I went to an ATM (cash-machine) in Middelburg, South Africa. After finishing my transaction, I noticed that this First National Bank was located in the former Dutch Reformed Church Building. I immediately remembered my "Gereformeerde" Uncle Piet (who had arranged for me to became a Dutch Banker) and the Bible text dealing with the temple and moneychangers. So I crossed the street and pulled out my camera to take a picture of the situation To my chagrin, I noticed that I had damaged the camera by dropping it earlier that morning. While I tried to find a way to make it work again, two Xhosa girls came up to me and asked: "Are you a tourism?" |
| I admitted to be a proponent and mentioned that my camera needed fixing, upon which the 16 year old Kay grabbed it out of my hand while 13 year old Charmaine assured me that Kay could fix anything. And she did, so I had to take their picture in front of the building. Making small talk, they taught me to say 'I love you' in Xhosan (sounded like "del kutare"), but no, they would not go for boyfriends till they were 20. Next, I asked them if Jezus had relented on allowing money changers back into the temple, at least here in South Africa? They shrugged and I promised them that I would put the relevant Bible text on my website - together with their photographs . So here it's all, enjoy! |
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12 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple,
and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13 He said to them,"It is written,
'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."