There is an excellent sermon on this passage by Pastor Fiona Stewart, it can be found here.
When we sin our thinking becomes distorted, largely because we know we have done wrong but we try and deny it. Herod, who had earlier had John the Baptist beheaded, knew he had done wrong. So when he heard about Jesus he feared that John had come back to life. This was ridiculous thinking. Ironically, he is about the only person in the gospels who seemed to believe in the resurrection!
Others had equally wacky ideas about who Jesus was, such as thinking He was Elijah or a prophet.
The reason Herod had John beheaded was that John had told Herod the truth about his immoral lifestyle. This is truly an example of "speaking truth to power" and shows the cost in doing so. Herod knew there was something special about John, and probably knew that he was speaking the truth. However, his "wife" wanted John dead. Herod was also fascinated by John, yet he was not prepared to make a commitment, not prepared to act on the truth.
So at the infamous banquet Herodias took the chance to trap Herod and John. Having made a rash promise, Herod was forced to agree to John being beheaded.
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