Curiosity About Jesus’ Identity. Mark 6:14-16.
King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”But when Herod heard of it he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
Dear Ambassadors of the King of Kings,
By this time, one would expect that Jesus would attract a lot of curiosity about who he really was. Curiosity is good, because it provokes inquiry, and that is what learning is about. But curiosity does not guarantee the right answers.
Superstition (v. 14). The news about Jesus got to King Herod. What came to him seems to have been clothed in the superstitions of the time. Since John had just died. Some believed that he had been raised. John had performed no miracles during his ministry but his preaching and teaching had a powerful effect on his hearers. The people believed that John had been a prophet and extrapolated that he had been raised from the dead and was now performing miracles. This was not based on any teaching from the Old Testament, but superstition is built on a fertile imagination.
Speculation (v. 15). Others saw Jesus as the promised Elijah of prophecy (Malachi 4:5). The scribes taught that Elijah, who had been caught up into heaven in a chariot of fire and had not died, would return to prepare the way for the Day of the Lord and die. Some others thought that Jesus was a prophet, in the tradition of the prophets of the Old Testament. These speculations still fell short of the true identity of Jesus.
Statement (v. 16). King Herod was quite definite in his opinion, but still wrong. Probably as a combination of superstition and his guilt at having killed an innocent prophet of God, Herod believed John had been resurrected, probably in order to haunt him as punishment. The people of Jesus’ time were led to their conclusion about the identity of Jesus either by their superstition, their insufficient understanding of the Old Testament, or, in the case of Herod, guilt. Their minds were closed to possibilities outside their knowledge and experience, so even though Jesus claimed and demonstrated divinity, they could not see it. Open your heart and mind to possibilities beyond your limited scope.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.