Mark 6:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”

NIV: King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'

NASB: And King Herod heard about it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.'

CSB: King Herod heard about it, because Jesus's name had become well known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that's why miraculous powers are at work in him."

NLT: Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, 'This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.'

KJV: And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

NKJV: Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

Herod Antipas has heard of Jesus' ministry and the missions trip of His disciples. He and his court are confused because this message sounds very much like that of John the Baptist, whom Herod arrested shortly before Jesus started His ministry (Mark 1:14) and executed some time later.

Antipas is the son of Herod the Great and Malthace. Herod the Great was of Edomite descent, and Malthace was a Samaritan. At that time, the Jewish people disliked both nationalities. The fact that Herod's family was installed into their leadership by Rome doesn't help. After Herod the Great's death, Rome splits his kingdom into four "tetrarchs." Antipas rules over Galilee, north of Samaria and west of the Sea of Galilee, and Perea, east of Judea. His brother Archelaus rules Judea, and his half-brother Philip rules the area east of Galilee and north of Decapolis. Herod the Great's sister, Salome I, rules small sections around Judea.

"Herod" is both a term for "king" and somewhat of a family name. Although Antipas is identified as "Herod," he has assumed the kingship, and Emperor Augustus calls him "Antipas Tetrarch." It is unclear if Mark uses the title because of custom or out of sarcasm. Matthew splits the difference and uses "Herod the tetrarch" (Matthew 14:1).

John the Baptist preaches in Judea, across the Jordan River from Perea, and Antipas becomes familiar with his message of repentance. Antipas' followers conspire with the Pharisees from Jerusalem to destroy Jesus (Mark 3:6), although there is no indication Antipas knows. It is Antipas who meets with Jesus before the crucifixion. Luke 23:7 states Pilate learns Jesus belongs to "Herod's" jurisdiction and that "Herod" happens to be in Jerusalem at the time. Although silent during the interrogation (Luke 23:9), Jesus considers Antipas a "reed shaken by the wind" (Matthew 11:7) and a fox (Luke 13:32).

Mark 6:14–29 follows the disciples' success in continuing John the Baptist's work with a flashback of John's execution. John was Jesus' cousin (Luke 1:36) and the herald of Jesus' ministry (John 1:19–28). He preached repentance to many, including Andrew and Peter (John 1:35–42). He also baptized Jesus (Mark 1:9–11). Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee, where Jesus was from, and Perea, near where John preached. Antipas was fascinated by John, but his wife felt threatened by John's condemnation of their incestuous marriage. This story is also found in Matthew 14:1–12, Luke 3:19–20, and Luke 9:7–9.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.