In this parable there was a wealthy man who had an employee that managed his business affairs and property. He was given the ability to use his financial resources to improve the owner's holdings along with all authority in business dealings. The rich man saw some of the ways his manager was handling things and found him to be wasting his money and fired him. He didn't accuse him of being a thief or being dishonest. It appears he thought the man was not doing things responsibly and fired him.
The manager realized he had no other skills and would never get another job. He also admitted he was too proud to beg. So he devised a way he could use other people to provide for his needs. Immediately we can see how irresponsible he was because he did not take responsibility to provide for himself, he planned to use others instead. He called in some of the men who owed the owner. He told them to take their bill and lower the amount owed. He felt by doing this, the men he helped would be obligated to him and give him a home once he left his job.
When the rich man heard what the manager had done he saw he was also dishonest as well as irresponsible. However, he was impressed the manager had acted shrewdly, prepared ahead by planning for his unemployment and using what was at hand to provide for his future needs.
Jesus lesson to the disciples was that they be honest rather than dishonest in their dealings. He also taught them to use what they had for Kingdom work. They should put what they had to work to win people into God's Kingdom. They would have to be shrewd because the worldly are more shrewd that the people of the light. Just as the rich man had been impressed with the managers shrewdness, perhaps the people of the world would respect the disciples shrewdness, not dishonesty, opening a door to lead them to the Kingdom. Do that and they would be welcomed into the eternal kingdom.
Jesus also instructed them if they would be faithful in little things they would be faithful in big things. If they were dishonest in little things, they would be dishonest in all things. If they were not trustworthy with earthly things then who would trust them with the things of heaven. So their dealings must be done in a way that people wold trust them and then trust them in the things they told them of the Kingdom. Last, if they could not be faithful with other people's things, why should they be trusted with their own things.
He then taught then they could not serve both God and money. No one could be devoted to God while being devoted to money. They should use their money to serve God.
Jesus taught the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus the poor man. There was a rich man who wore expensive clothing and lived in all kind of luxury. Outside his gate there was a poor man named Lazarus (meaning "God the Helper) who was covered with sores. He lay there hoping the rich man might give him the scraps from his table. Apparently the rich man never gave him anything. One day, Lazarus died and was taken to Abraham by the angels. Then the rich man died and was buried, his soul sent to the place of the dead.(The place of constant torment, hell)
In his torment, the rich man saw Abraham and Lazarus. He cried out to Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water to cool his tongue, for he was suffering in the flames of the place. Abraham reminded him when he was alive, he had everything and Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus was being comforted and he was in anguish. Also, there was a great divide between the place he was and the place Lazarus was which no one could cross in either direction. (If the rich man could see Lazarus, then we might believe those in the place of torment could see what going on in the heavenly place which wold be of even greater torment.)
The rich man then asked Abraham to send Lazarus to tell his family these things so they could avoid the place of torment. The rich man thought if someone came from the dead to tell them, surely they would believe. Abraham replied, saying the man's family had all the teachings of Moses and the prophets to learn from. If they wouldn't learn from that then no one could save them not even someone from the dead.
That last part carries a lot of weight even today. We can whine and blame others for not telling us the truth, however, the truth has been given to us in the Word. If we choose not to study it and learn what it teaches then our future in on us. Everything we need to know has been given. We have to study and learn and live accordingly.