Mark 6:16

But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. BUT WHEN HEROD HEARD THEREOF, HE SAID, IT IS JOHN, WHOM I BEHEADED: HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD. [ autos (G846)] - 'Himself has risen;' as if the innocence and sanctity of his faithful reprover had not suffered that he should lie long dead....

14-29 Herod feared John while he lived, and feared him still more when he was dead. Herod did many of those things which John in his preaching taught him; but it is not enough to do many things, we must have respect to all the commandments. Herod respected John, till he touched him in his Herodias. Thus many love good preaching, if it keep far away from their beloved sin. But it is better that sinners persecute ministers now for faithfulness, than curse them eternally for unfaithfulness. The ways of God are unsearchable; but we may be sure he never can be at a loss to repay his servants for what they endure or lose for his sake. Death could not come so as to surprise this holy man; and the triumph of the wicked was short....

See this account of the death of John the Baptist fully explained in the notes at Matthew 14:1. Mark 6:20 FOR HEROD FEARED JOHN - That is, he stood in awe of him on account of his sanctity, and his boldness and fearlessness in reproving sin. KNOWING THAT HE WAS A JUST MAN AND AN HOLY - A holy, pious, upright, honest man - a man who would not be afraid of him, or afraid to speak his real sentiments. AND OBSERVED HIM - Margin, “kept him, or saved him.” This does not mean that he “observed” or obeyed his teachings, but that he kept him in safe custody in order to preserve him from the machinations of Herodias. He was willing to show his respect for John, a

EXPOSITION MARK 6:1 Our Lord now left the neighbourhood of Capernaum, and came INTO HIS OWN COUNTRY, the district of Nazareth, where he had been, not born indeed, but brought up, and where his kinsfolk after the flesh still lived. Nazareth would be about a day's journey from Capernaum. This was not the first public exercise of his ministry at Nazareth. Of that and its results St. Luke gives us the account (Luke 4:16). It would seem reasonable to suppose that, after the fame which he had now acquired, he should again visit the place where he had been brought up. His sisters were still living there. St. Mark here again uses the historical present ἔρχεται, "he cometh," for which there is better authority than for ἧλθεν_. _HIS

BUT WHEN HEROD HEARD THEREOF,.... Either of Christ, or rather of the different opinions about him, HE SAID, IT IS JOHN, WHOM I HAVE BEHEADED: the thought stuck close to him, and continued with him; he could not get rid of it, nor persuade himself to the contrary; nor could any of his servants get him off of it, but he affirmed it with the greatest assurance imaginable. These different sentiments of the people concerning Jesus, greatly perplexed the mind of Herod, as appears from Luke 9:7, for it was first given out by others, and not by Herod, that John the Baptist was RISEN FROM THE DEAD; which he hearing of, gave him great uneasiness: he thoroughly considered the matter; he called to mind how he had used him, imprisoned him, and put him to death. At first he could not receive it, that since he was beheaded by him, he should be restored to life; but hearing of

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Servant rejected in Nazareth. (Mark 6:1. Matthew 13:54; Luke 4:16)_ 2. The Servant sends forth the Twelve. (Mark 6:7 .Matthew 10:5; Luke 9:1) 3. King Herod troubled. (Mark 6:14. Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7)...

HEROD AND JESUS. THE END OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Wellhausen, J. Weiss, and Klostermann would begin a new period with this section the period of constant wandering, in which Jesus is mostly outside Galilee, _e.g._ in the districts of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24), Decapolis (Mark 7:31), Bethsaida (Mark 8:22), Cæ sarea Philippi (Mark 8:27). The restless journeying across the lake, and the avoidance of Galilee, would be explained by the fact that the suspicions of Herod have been aroused. This characterisation of the period is correct and the hint as to its cause is also probable (_cf._ L

WITHOUT HONOR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY (Mark 6:1-6)...

_It is John_ The words in the original, according to the best MSS., are very striking. JOHN WHOM I (_I myself;_the pronoun "has the emphasis of a guilty conscience") BEHEADED THIS IS HE HE IS RISEN. Josephus confirms the account of these forebodings when he tells us that after the utter defeat of Herod Antipas by Aretas, the people regarded it as a righteous retribution for the murder of John (Jos. _Ant_. xviii. 5. 1, 2)....

14–29. THE MURDER OF THE BAPTIZER Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9; Luke 3:19-20...