Nehemiah 9:17; Romans 5:8
The love of God is a transforming kind of love. When you encounter the power of the love of God, you cannot remain the same. When the people sinned against him and he burned in anger, he would relent his anger and go after them. His desire was/is not to completely cut them off, but rather go after them so that he can teach them how to fellowship with him here on earth, and, ultimately in eternity. The desire of God is for humanity to live a life that is full. “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). Even before we knew it, Christ Jesus loved us enough to die for us (Romans 5:8).
During Jesus time on earth, tax collection was a most loathed career because tax collectors exhorted more than what was meant to be. They were a hated lot and were seen as some of the worst sinners. Yet, when Jesus met Zacchaeus, he called him to come to him. To the chagrin of those present, including his own disciples, Jesus made the declaration for the salvation of Zacchaeus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10).
The first transformation in Zacchaeus was his joy as he came down to meet Jesus and receive him into his house (9:6). Being a man who lived on the margins of society because of his career choice, it must have been a great honour to have Jesus choose him and his house as the place he chose to visit that day.
The second transformation is seen when he chooses to return what he had taken irregularly. ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ (9:8)
The transforming power of love is found in Jesus who is the exemplification of God’s love towards humanity. It didn’t matter whether the masses believed in him, or even held him with high regard. Jesus had come to save the world from sin (Matthew 1:21). He was on a mission to transform sinful humanity towards God’s righteousness. And so, the only way to touch and transform the hearts of the people was by loving them unconditionally. Zacchaeus encountered this unconditional love and it transformed him for ‘God is ready to forgive, is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and doesn’t forsake his people. (Nehemiah 9:17)
