John warned the people that a day of reckoning was coming. In response they asked John what they should do. His answer was that people needed to let go of the things and the wealth they sought after or had accumulated. 2/3 of what John told the people to do (in the book of Luke) addressed money or possessions.
He told the common people to share what they had with those who had less. He told tax collectors not to take more than what people owed and he told soldiers to be content with their pay.
There are two points to note: First of all, it is interesting to note that most of the people of the first century struggled to get by, and the vast majority had little more or less than the bare necessities of life and yet John wanted them to share what little they had with others who had less.
Secondly, as in other societies there were different world views between different groups. Soldiers would have looked down on the common people of the land (sometimes with discust), while the people hated the soldiers for being abusive, arrogant and forcing them to carry their baggage.
It was the same with the tax-collectors and the people being taxed. Tax-collectors were hard on the people because so many of the people cheated and refused to pay the right amount of taxes. They lied and hid what they could from the tax-collectors. But the people saw the tax-collectors as cruel and demanding. In both cases, with the soldiers and with the tax-collectors, John took the side of the people.
If John the Baptist were here today, I think he would not let people get easy baptisms. Before people could get baptised they would have to show signs that they have repented. He would tell us that if we had a savings, give half to those who had none. He would tell us to work ethically, not taking advantage of other people in business. He would tell us to be content with our wages and stop complaining about our work.
To put it all simply John tells us to put others' survival needs and prosperity equal to our own.
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