16. Money: Thoughts on Paying Rent

In Chapter 16, Miller admits that without money he feels like a loser. He says we are tempted to define ourselves by what we own, and the chapter asks how finances, good or bad, shape the way we see ourselves. Luke 12 shows that this is an old problem.

Someone in a crowd asks Jesus to make his brother divide an inheritance. It sounds like a fair request. Jesus declines to be the judge and then goes underneath the request. He says, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Notice what he does not say. He does not say possessions are evil, and he does not say the man's complaint is false. He says your life is not made out of your stuff.

Then comes the parable. The rich man's land “produced plentifully.” Nothing sinful is mentioned there. A good harvest is a gift. The trouble shows up in how he handles it. Listen to his talking. He thinks to himself, he answers himself, and he plans to speak to his own soul. He says, “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones.” It is all my barns, my grain, my goods. He never asks a neighbor, a worker, or God what to do with it.

Look at what he tells his soul: you have ample goods laid up for many years, so relax. He is measuring his soul by his storage. His worth, his security, and his peace all sit in the barn. That is Miller's loser feeling turned upside down. When money is short, we feel small. When money is plentiful, we feel safe and important. Both feelings use the same ruler, and Jesus says the ruler is wrong.

God's one-word verdict is “Fool!” and he adds, “This night your soul is required of you.” The soul the man tried to feed with grain was never his to feed that way. Jesus closes with a contrast: the one who lays up treasure for himself is “not rich toward God.” The goal is not to be poor. It is to be rich in the place that lasts.

So this session asks a practical question. What do your dollars say you believe? Your spending is a record of your real values, and it is often more honest than your opinions. Look at it without panic and without a show of guilt.

If money is tight and shame comes with it, or debt is crushing you, tell a pastor, counselor, or trusted friend. Your worth was never set by your account balance, and you do not have to carry this alone.