6:14
There were several Herods about during the New Testament period, the most infamous being the one in power at the time of Jesus’ birth and who ordered the killing of the babies (Matt 2:16), there is Herod Agrippa who was struck dead by an angel and eaten by worms (Acts 12), and this Herod. They were all ones who kowtowed to the Roman Empire. This one, as we will learn in the succeeding verse, had had John the Baptist killed. He had the power to do this, but he could not avoid the guilt that went with it. So when Jesus started becoming famous he was worried that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead.
6:15,16
There were all sorts of ideas about who Jesus was. John the Baptist raised from the dead was one suggestion. Elijah was another. Of course, John the Baptist was a prophet in the mould of Elijah. Others said Jesus was like one of the Old Testament prophets. Herod was convinced He was John the Baptist raised from the dead. When we sin we cannot escape guilt, no matter how hard we try to suppress the truth, and this distorts our thinking. Repentance is the only way to set our minds at rest and to recover our balance. We should also note that people generally haven’t got a clue what is going on.
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