Put yourself back in the 27 AD. Would you take John’s baptism? In other words, would you associate yourself with his message of repentance, turning to God, and doing works befitting repentance? Would you humble yourself and participate with a man seen by the leadership of Israel as a strange bird (at best) or a lunatic? Would you repent of your sin, idolatry, covetousness, lust, blasphemy, filthy language, immorality, bad thoughts, etc. and admit your need for Jesus to cleanse you?

Case closed - the Jewish people have a historical pattern of rebellion against God and his messengers, and that it is no different at the present time because they have rebelled against God by rejecting Jesus and persecuting His followers. They prove the point by killing Stephen. Hasten to hear this - Gentiles are no different! People tend to be proud rebels—openly or quietly does not matter. With enough power at their disposal, people will do terrible things to other humans in their pursuit of godless self-autonomy.

For John, the first coming of the Messiah was a critical impetus for people to repent. The second coming is no less of a motivation for us today to prepare the way for Him by turning from sin to Christ and receiving forgiveness.