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Connecting Statement:
Jesus finishes telling the parable about the master and the manager of his debtors. In verse 9, Jesus continues to teach his disciples.
The master then commended
The text does not say how the master learned of the manager's action.
commended
"praised" or "spoke well of" or "approved of"
he had acted shrewdly
"he had acted cleverly" or "he had done a sensible thing"
the children of this world
This refers to those like the unrighteous manager who do not know or care about God. AT: "the people of this world" or "worldly people"
the children of light
Here "light" is a metaphor for everything godly. AT: "the people of God" or "godly people" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
I say to you
"I" refers to Jesus. The phrase "I say to you" marks the end of the story and now Jesus tells the people how to apply the story to their lives.
make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth
The focus here is on using the money to help other people. AT: "make people your friends by helping them with worldly wealth"
by means of unrighteous wealth
Possible meanings are 1) Jesus uses hyperbole when he calls money "unrighteous" because it has no eternal value. AT: "by using money, which has no eternal value" or "by using worldly money" or 2) Jesus uses metonymy when he calls money "unrighteous" because people sometimes earn it or use it in unrighteous ways. AT: "by using even money that you earned dishonestly" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole)
they may welcome
This may refer to 1) God in heaven, who is pleased that you used money to help people, or 2) the friends you helped with your money .
eternal dwellings
This refers to heaven, where God lives.