We’ve heard that. We don’t agree with it. Neither did Jesus. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, found only in Luke, can be confusing because it seems Jesus is commending dishonesty. He’s not, of course, but it may be difficult to grasp what exactly he is saying.
What I find most difficult about this passage is verse 9:
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9
Jesus’ meaning actually isn’t all that difficult when taken in the context of the parable. What did the shrewd manager do? He made friends by means of worldly wealth. Granted, the wealth was not his own, but he used what had been entrusted to him to make friends.
Likewise, we are to use for the good of others what God has entrusted to us. By so doing, people will “see [our] good deeds and praise [our] Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Some will be brought to Christ, and these in turn will “receive [us] into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9 ESV).
We are to make the most of the time and opportunities and wealth that has been entrusted to us — however many or few they be, these riches are the Lord’s.