What does Luke 3:13 mean?

John the Baptist is giving advice to local tax collectors (Luke 3:12) who want to follow his command to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8). In Jesus' era, tax collectors were among the most hated people in any community. This was for three primary reasons. First, they willingly associated with unclean, sinful Gentiles. Second, they helped an oppressive empire control their own conquered people. Third, their position was ripe for corruption. Romans allowed them to add to collections to cover their own salary; many tax collectors became rich by squeezing excess funds from their countrymen.

The tax collectors coming to John the Baptist want to be right with God; they are asking how to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8). John's advice speaks to the temptation often associated with their profession: overcharging. He instructs them to collect only what must be taken, and no more. In a later passage, Zacchaeus the tax collector will demonstrate repentance by restoring fraudulent wealth to those from whom it was taken (Luke 19:8).