2. (a) What was the big point of Jesus’ illustration about the unrighteous steward? (b) What questions might this raise?

² Jesus Christ used this example of shrewdness to teach an important lesson: “Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches, so that, when such fail, they may receive you into the everlasting dwelling places.” (Luke 16:9) This gives rise to the questions: What are these “unrighteous riches”? Who are the possessors of the “everlasting dwelling places”? And how can we make friends with them by means of “unrighteous riches”?

5. Who are the possessors of the “everlasting dwelling places,” and why is this so?

⁵ The objective of Jesus’ true disciples should be to use their “unrighteous riches” to make friends with the possessors of the “everlasting dwelling places.” Since no dwelling place on earth can be spoken of as being everlasting, manifestly the “everlasting dwelling places” must be heavenly. These are in the possession of the eternal God Jehovah and his Son. Jesus Christ told his apostles: “In the house of my Father there are many abodes. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going my way to prepare a place for you.”​—John 14:2.

6. (a) Why do God and Christ not need our material things? (b) How can we make friends with God and Christ by means of “unrighteous riches”?

⁶ By reason of his Creatorship, Jehovah God owns everything, and his firstborn Son, as heir of all things, shares in that ownership. (Ps. 50:10-12; 2 Cor. 8:9; Heb. 1:1, 2) This means that there is nothing in a material way that we humans can give to them. Hence, to make friends with the Most High God and his Son by means of “unrighteous riches” would simply mean to use these riches in a way that brings Their approval.