Why did Herod think Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead?

Answer 1

Mark's gospel gives the fullest account of John the Baptist and Herod. In Mark 6 we can read that Herod feared John and knew that John was a just and holy man. Herod gladly listened to what John had to say heard but he would not give up his unlawful marriage to his brother's wife Herodias. At Herod's birthday party, with local celebrities attending, Herodias arranged for her daughter to dance. Herod was so pleased with the dancing that he promised to give the girl anything up to half his kingdom. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

King Herod was trapped. Against his own desires and better judgment, he granted the request.

When Herod heard of the miracles that Jesus did he was troubled by his conscience. He thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead.

Mark 6:16 When Herod heard it, he said, "He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life!"

Answer 2

Mark 6:14 says that Herod Antipas thought that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. This could have been the result of a guilty conscience, although what Herod is said to have done to John was not so unusual for rulers in antiquity. We find two chapters later (Mark 8:27-28) that the disciples said that people thought Jesus was John the Baptist or Elijah. This is interesting because the gospel has numerous allusions that compare John to Elijah or Jesus to Elijah, yet Jesus is clearly portrayed as greater than John.

There is also a literary reason for Herod to believe, at just this point, that Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life. This passage forms a pair (pair P in the following summary) in the parallel structure of Mark's Gospel with yet another reference to John the Baptist. A parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with a second, parallel set that mirrors the first, and was used in antiquity to create emphasis or develop themes that were otherwise not apparent. Thus, event P provides emphasis for the theologically important matching event P', wherein Jesus easily defeats the chief priests, scribes and elders in argument, leaving the reader to understand that Jesus did these things by the authority of God:

A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)