Mark tells us that Herod Antipas, ruler of that part of Galilee, had heard of Jesus at about this time. This is the same Herod who beheaded John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-16). It is interesting that it is not said that Herod found out about Jesus through the Pharisees or through some other group. It was more like hearing rumors of him, which were made important or interesting because of the miracles Jesus had done. Who told Herod, or under what circumstances Jesus was made known to him, isn’t said in the text. Nevertheless, it is clear from what is said that Herod and Jesus didn’t walk in the same social circles. So, how did he find out about Jesus?
We need to keep in mind that Jesus’ words and deeds weren’t published by the local nightly news agency in Jesus’ day, and neither did he grab any headlines in the local N.Y. Times or Washington Post. Rather, news was spread by word of mouth, and what was important to the people and the local religious authorities wasn’t necessarily the news of the day for the civil authorities such as Herod or Pilate. Nevertheless, news of Jesus had come to Herod’s ears, and the text alludes to that knowledge coming to him due to the commotion stirred up by the six teams of evangelists (i.e., the Twelve), going through the cities of Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and healing folks with diverse diseases as they went (Mark 6:7, 12-13).
Notice Herod’s interpretation of that news. Mark tells us Herod assumed Jesus was, in fact, John the Baptist risen from the dead. Before the bodily resurrection of Jesus, resurrection from the dead was interpreted in various ways. For example, after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, folks simply assumed he would never die (cp. John 21:23).[1] Other forms of “resurrection” were believed by non-Jews. The Hindis believed in reincarnation and commercial trade between empires brought knowledge of this to the west. Herod believed a form of this resurrection, called transmigration of souls. This reincarnation or transmigration of souls clearly doesn’t come from the Bible. Rather, it is a foreign doctrine, which Herod Antipas probably learned from reading Pythagoras or another current writing influenced by him. It can even be interpreted as a form of demon possession according to some modern authors.[2] So, once again, we see the possibility that it was believed Jesus was possessed by some sort of spirit. In our present context, that would have been the spirit of John the Baptist.
The fact that some Jews of the day believed Jesus was Elijah or one of the prophets, presumably risen from the dead, is very telling in light of what the text concludes about Herod’s first impression of Jesus (Mark 6:15-16). It seems that many Jews in captivity brought back to Jerusalem many false doctrines that were held by their eastern captors, once they were released by Cyrus (cp. Ezra 1:1-4). Accordingly, Herod believed Jesus was possessed by the spirit of John, which empowered him to perform the mighty deeds he had heard of Jesus doing (Mark 6:14).
Notice what occurred immediately after the Twelve returned to tell Jesus what they had done (Mark 6:30). Both Jesus and the Twelve departed Capernaum by way of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 6:31-32) to a place called Bethsaida (Luke 9:10), for Herod wanted to see Jesus (Luke 9:9). What isn’t said in the text, itself, is that Bethsaida is just out of reach of Herod Antipas. Bethsaida is part of the realm of his brother, Herod Philip. It may be that Antipas’ interest in Jesus wasn’t entirely for entertainment purposes (cp. Luke 23:8). Therefore, Jesus chose a place for the Apostles to rest, which was out of Antipas’ realm of authority, and they remained outside his authority until his current interest in him faded.
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[1] This understanding of John 21:23 assumes that “Lazarus” is the beloved disciple. See my earlier studies: Barnabas – Whom Jesus Loved; and Identifying the Rich Young Ruler.
[2] See Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul by Dr. Harry Freedman; published by Bloomsbury.
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