The Parable of the Dishonest Manager is the most controversial parable in the Bible, as it seems to commend dishonest business dealings. It is found only in the Gospel of Luke, at Luke 16:1-13 .
The manager settles debts to his master at a discount, for the personal benefit of the already-fired manager and the relief of the debtors. It is baffling why the master would compliment the manager for his shrewd dishonesty, but perhaps the manager himself was dishonest in his own ways and "there is honor among thieves".
To avoid similar shrewd, dishonest conduct by fired employees today, employers commonly escort them off the premises immediately upon their termination.
Possible explanations
For 2000 years, scholars have debated possible explanations for this anomalous parable, typically finding a silver lining of moral value in the story.
A contrary explanation is that the parable is a mockery of the lack of values without Christianity. Typically the master in a parable is thought be an example of God, but that should not be presumed. In this parable both the master and servant can be viewed as corrupt.
Another explanation, again one not pushed by scholars, is that parables are not supposed to be only about the Kingdom of God. Other parables are perhaps interpreted too much as fairy tales, rather than Shakespeare-like insight into human nature.
A third explanation is that it illustrates the value of persistence and ingenuity, which is similar to parable of the unjust judge and the parable of the friend at night (persistent neighbor).
Fourth explanation: When a debtor cannot pay a debt due to unfortunate circumstances or bad judgment, it's super common for the two parties to settle for a lower amount (or to set up a payment plan where the person pays over time). It is often a win-win situation to do a settlement for a lower amount because the creditor may need/want some money now and it is often better to have a proverbial bird in the hand than two birds in a payment plan bush.