What does Luke 16:10 mean?

Jesus continues His application of the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1–8). A rich man discovers that his steward has mismanaged his property. Faced with a loss of income, the steward manipulates the amount of money the rich man's debtors owe, to convince one of them to hire him. Jesus is pointing out that the manager is very clever, and His disciples would do well to consider how to similarly respond to unfortunate situations, but in a way that glorifies God.

In Luke 16:9, Jesus tells His disciples to use their money to bless others. In doing so, they show that their trust is in God, and those they bless will be witnesses to their godly character.

Here, Jesus reveals the unfortunate consequence of the steward's character. He lost his job because he "wasted" his master's possessions. He apparently didn't steal; he was just negligent. When threatened with poverty, he amplified his behavior by severely cutting the amounts his master's debtors owed. Whatever loss his mismanagement caused, it was certainly nothing compared to the money his master lost from the interest or fees the manager erased (Luke 16:5–7).

But if the manager had been faithful with his master's business, what would have happened? He wouldn't be begging for a job from his master's debtors. He likely would have been offered more responsibility. This teaching is closely related to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). It doesn't matter what we are given. If we are responsible with what we have, we prove we can be entrusted with more.