John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus was said to become a great prophet that would pave the way for the Lord, Jesus. Both his father and the prophet Isaiah said that John would prepare the way for Jesus, to make Jesus' radical teachings less shocking because they were faced with John's previously.(Luke Chap 1) In John's teachings, he said to not fall back on the faith you were born into, but rather solidify your belief through good deeds. (Luke Chap 3) Jesus, too, called out hypocrites saying that good actions were the true example of devotion. John welcomed all and preached equal opportunity. In 1st century Palestine outcasts, such as tax collectors and soldiers could approach John with questions of salvation. John told all, from farmers to soldiers that they should give what they could, and not abuse their power. In Jesus' teachings, he too welcomed the castaways. In John and Jesus' time soldiers and tax collectors were hated due to the misdeeds of them. Many tax collectors took more money than necessary. But both John and then Jesus accepted them.