Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
Mark 6:15 belongs to the time when news of Jesus' mighty works was spreading and Herod first heard of Jesus, while different sayings about who Jesus was were being spread abroad. Some people explained Jesus by saying He was Elijah, while others said He was a prophet or like one of the prophets of old. In calling Him Elijah or a prophet, people recognized Him as a prophet but did not understand who He truly was.
In contrast to those opinions, Herod believed and fearfully concluded that Jesus was John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, risen from the dead. He attributed the mighty works showing forth in Jesus to that resurrection. The report terror-stricken him and intensified his fear.
Herod had never met Jesus before but had long desired to see Him and witness His marvelous power. The ignorance of Herod and other people of high rank about Jesus and religious events is striking since Jesus spent much of His time in Galilee, so that Herod's belief is difficult to explain if he already knew of Jesus. Herod's conclusion came from a guilty conscience over murdering John that troubled him, left a stain he could not escape, and made him dread judgment for having John beheaded. At that time his conscience was more sensitive than afterward.
Herod had once trembled with horror at Herodias's request for John's head and had very nearly become John's disciple, for he knew John was a true prophet. But he turned from the truth to gratify revenge and had John killed. Then he sank further into sin and a licentious life until his remorse faded, his moral perceptions were degraded, his conscience grew less sensitive, and his sins appeared as trifles.
The tidings of John's death at Herod's hand reached Jesus and the disciples just after the disciples returned filled with joy from their first missionary tour. The news brought bitter sorrow and disappointment and severely tested their faith because Jesus had left John to die in prison. Jesus met their sorrowful, tear-stained faces with pitying tenderness, with tears in His own eyes and voice, and bade them come apart into a desert place and rest awhile. Taking them by boat, He brought them to a lonely region near Bethsaida at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee to listen to truth undisturbed.
Mark 6:15 belongs to the time when news of Jesus' mighty works was spreading and Herod first heard of Jesus, while different sayings about who Jesus was were being spread abroad. Some people explained Jesus by saying He was Elijah, while others said He was a prophet or like one of the prophets of old. In calling Him Elijah or a prophet, people recognized Him as a prophet but did not understand who He truly was.
In contrast to those opinions, Herod believed and fearfully concluded that Jesus was John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, risen from the dead. He attributed the mighty works showing forth in Jesus to that resurrection. The report terror-stricken him and intensified his fear.
Herod had never met Jesus before but had long desired to see Him and witness His marvelous power. The ignorance of Herod and other people of high rank about Jesus and religious events is striking since Jesus spent much of His time in Galilee, so that Herod's belief is difficult to explain if he already knew of Jesus. Herod's conclusion came from a guilty conscience over murdering John that troubled him, left a stain he could not escape, and made him dread judgment for having John beheaded. At that time his conscience was more sensitive than afterward.
Herod had once trembled with horror at Herodias's request for John's head and had very nearly become John's disciple, for he knew John was a true prophet. But he turned from the truth to gratify revenge and had John killed. Then he sank further into sin and a licentious life until his remorse faded, his moral perceptions were degraded, his conscience grew less sensitive, and his sins appeared as trifles.
The tidings of John's death at Herod's hand reached Jesus and the disciples just after the disciples returned filled with joy from their first missionary tour. The news brought bitter sorrow and disappointment and severely tested their faith because Jesus had left John to die in prison. Jesus met their sorrowful, tear-stained faces with pitying tenderness, with tears in His own eyes and voice, and bade them come apart into a desert place and rest awhile. Taking them by boat, He brought them to a lonely region near Bethsaida at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee to listen to truth undisturbed.