John the Baptist

✦ One core of the Gospel narratives regards a common theme between John the Baptist and Jesus. John baptized tax collectors (Luke 3:12), told them it was righteous to "collect the appointed amount" and tax collectors were noted as his followers (Matthew 21:32, Luke 7:29). Jesus was a "friend of tax collectors" (Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34), dined with many (or a large company of) tax collectors (Matthew 9:10, Mark 2:15, Luke 5:29), one of Jesus' disciples was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9-10), Jesus stayed overnight with Jericho's chief tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-7), Jesus instructed Peter to pay the half-shekel tax and not give offense to the collector (Matthew 17:24-27), and "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" (Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25).

✦ Prior to Christian baptism the Romans had a spiritual cleansing ritual in a river, the Jews did not. The Roman historian, Livy, wrote in The Early History of Rome, I.45:

“Surely you do not mean to sacrifice to Diana without first performing the act of purification? You must bathe yourself, before the ceremony, in a living stream. Down there in the valley the Tiber [River] flows.”

✦ John the Baptist is documented as having baptized men from two professions; tax collectors[1] and soldiers[2] (remarkably syncing with two primary goals of Roman occupation).

✦ When a tax collector asks what he must do to be righteous:

Most of the Jews probably expected John to say, “Stop collecting money for the Roman government. Do not burden the people beyond their tithes to God and his Temple.”
But John publicly proclaimed, “Collect no more than is appointed you.”
This implies that the appointed amount is legitimate and proper.

✦ When a soldier asks what he must do to be righteous:

Most of the Jews probably expected John to say, “Do not serve the Roman army. Provide service to God and his chosen people. Israel is the land God has promised to his people. Do the will of God and throw off the bonds of Roman occupation.”
But John publicly proclaimed, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Having soldiers be content with their wages has obvious advantages to Rome.
In a stretch, the spoils of war were meant for Roman soldiers and not for their foreign counterparts.

✦ John publicly instructed two infamous occupations in ways conducive to Roman rule.

[1] Luke 3:13

[2] Luke 3:14