Christian Family Services Ministry

Focus on the Gifts: (PROPHET TEACHER, GIVER, MERCY, EXHORTER, ORGANIZER, SERVER)

Judas and John

We are considering the motivational gifts and how understanding the different traits of each sheds light on certain scriptures. Knowing the gifts helps us understand behavior and its motivation with John and Judas.

So we see John, who is a Mercy and Judas the Giver, and watch what happens in the text. Remember the Mercy loves deeply and absolutely despises disloyal behavior. The Giver, on the other hand, prizes physical possessions and tends not to learn from mistakes.

So watch Judas in John 12.

Mary, therefore, took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

John the Mercy points out Judas does not care about the poor then tells us that Judas is a thief. He had already warned us in John 6:71 that Judas is a devil.

Notice how a Mercy deals with betrayal and never turns loose. Multiple times John reminds us of the sick aspects of the character of Judas.

On the other hand, we see Judas preoccupied with money and material possessions. Twice verbally upset by the women who anoint Jesus for his burial.

Eventually, Judas’ sells Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Notice please how his final resting place is a piece of land bought with his final possessions.

We should remember that Judas spent nearly three years walking with the Lord. He was even sent out to heal and cast out demons and apparently very successful just as the other disciples.

These experiences with Jesus does not make as much an impression on Judas as the material. Judas is constantly interpreting everything through the material scope. This leads us to see a trait prevalent with Givers: envy and the inability to learn from mistakes.

We also see how each person is influenced by his gift. That influence may be positive or negative, as determined by each of us. We have choices. The use of the gift and its potential is determined by the value placed on it and how it is developed.

The more the gift is used the stronger the gift becomes. When the gift is dedicated to the Lord it is magnified even more so. When the gift is misused for selfish purposes or neglected then it becomes useless or even destructive.