Luke 9:7-9
Chapter 9
7
King Herod heard all that was happening and was confused, for people said:
“This is John, raised from the dead.”
8
Others believed that Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets, had come back to life.
9
As for Herod, he said:
“I had John beheaded. Who is this man, about whom I hear such wonders?”
And he was eager to see him.
Commentaries
Herod’s Interest.
While the twelve are on a mission, Luke takes the opportunity to tell us about Herod’s curiosity regarding Jesus. Herod’s concern isn’t due to questions of faith or conscience but rather to the conflicting comments and opinions of the people. There are two main issues: 1. At this point, there is still no clear understanding of Jesus’ identity. 2. Luke uses Herod’s own words to communicate the news of John’s death. The evangelist avoids narrating the full story and the circumstances of that death as Mark does (cf. Mk 6:14-29).