Though Zacchaeus came with baggage, Jesus’ decision to love anyway completely changed Zacchaeus’ life for the better.
Jesus can teach us how to break free from a frustrating, unsatisfying, and rule-dominated experience of Christianity to find a real relationship with God.
Jesus had the resilience to continually going back to God in prayer to face his fears of dying. He did not give up but kept fighting with God to get the faith to move forward.
Once our faith in God is strong, it becomes easy to overcome the temptation to be cynical in human relationships.
Jesus and anyone who chooses to live like him will be controversial, and that isn’t a negative thing. Unless we decide to live in a society where everyone believes and thinks the same thing controversies will abound.