Luke 3:15-17 (NRSV) 15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
The brief account of John's proclamation indicates that he was a stern preacher of righteousness and judgment. For him the coming of the Messiah meant that the ax was "laid unto the root of the trees." He challenged the widespread assumptions that religion was a matter of race and ritual. He demanded a practice coherent with profession.