<p>3:13 <i>And he said to them: Collect no more than what you have been ordered to</i>- John the Baptist showed a spirit of concession to human weakness in his preaching. He told the publicans: &ldquo;Extort no more than that which is appointed you&rdquo; (Lk. 3:13 RV). He tacitly accepted that these men would be into extortion. But within limits, he let it go. Likewise he told soldiers to be content with their wages- not to quit the job. And seeing there were no Roman Legions in Judaea at his time Josephus, <i>Antiquities</i> 18.5.1, these were likely Jewish soldiers.</p>