Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 9:7
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
7-9. Herod’s Alarm.
7. Herod the tetrarch ] Antipas. See Luk 3:1.
by him ] These words are omitted by , B, C, D, L. The “ all the things that had occurred ” seems to be a special reference to the work of the Twelve which made our Lord’s name more widely known.
it was said of some ] i.e. by some. To this opinion Herod’s guilty conscience made him sometimes incline, Mar 6:16. His alarm may have been intensified by the strong condemnation of his subjects, who, long afterwards, looked on his defeat by his injured father-in-law Aretas (Hareth) as a punishment for this crime (Jos. Antt. xviii. 5, 1, 2).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See the notes at Mat 14:1-2. Compare Mar 6:14-16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Luk 9:7
Herod the tetrarch heard
Herod in perplexity
Perplexed.
This is a singular word. When we have a pictorial dictionary we shall see a very graphic illustration of the meaning of this term. This word imports that the man who was in this condition was perplexed, really stuck in the mud. That is the literal import of the word. He could not move easily, and in all his movement he was trying to escape–now he was moving to the right, then he was moving to the left; now forward, now backward, now sideward; he was making all kinds of motion with a view to self-extrication, and he could not deliver himself from this mood of hesitancy and incertitude. Herod was perplexed about Christ, and curiously perplexed; for his instinct put down his dogma, his conscience blew away as with a scornful wind his theological view of life and destiny. Why was Herod perplexed?–Because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again (verses 7, 8). Why did Herod trouble himself about these dead men? As a Sadducee he did not believe in spirit or in resurrection. If he had been quite faithful and stedfast to his creed, he would have said in answer to all these rumours–Whoever this man may be, he has nothing whatever to do with another world, for other world there is none; as to resurrection, dismiss the superstition and forget it. But Herod had never been in this situation before. Circumstances play havoc with some creeds. They are admirable creeds whilst the wind is in the south-west, and the way lies up a green slope, and birds are singing around us, and all heaven seems inclined to reveal its glories in one blaze: then we can have our theories and inventions and conjectures, and can play the little tricky controversialist with many words: but when the wolf bites us, how is it then? When all the money is lost, when the little child lies at the last gasp, when the doctor himself has gone away, saying it will be needless for him to return–how then? Men should have a creed that will abide with them every day in the week without consulting thermometer or barometer; a creed that will sing the most sweetly when the heart most needs heavens music; a great faith, an intelligent, noble, free-minded faith, that says to the heart in its moods of dejection, All will come well; hold on, never despair, never give up; one more prayer, one more day, in a little while. A faith of this kind saves men from perplexity; it gives the life of man solidity, centralization, outlook, hope. It is an awkward thing to have a creed that will not bear this stress. Herods Sadduceeism went down when a tap came to the door by invisible fingers. We can do what we will with matter; if the fingers are of bone and flesh they can be smitten and broken; but who can touch invisible fingers? Then what have we to take down by way of comfort? We have declared that we know nothing, and have taken quite lofty pride in our boundless ignorance, but here is a hand at the door, and the door must be answered, and you must answer it. Herod was perplexed, hesitant, now on this side, now on that side; he could not tell what to do. So are men perplexed about Christ to-day who do not believe in Him. It is one of two things in regard to this Son of Man: cordial, loving, positive trust, the whole heart-love poured out like wine into a living flagon; or it is now belief, now unbelief, now uncertainty, now a prayer breathed to the very devil that he would come and take possession of the mind so as to drive out all perplexity and bewilderment. The latter course ends in deepening confusion and darkness. The only thing that will bear the stress of every weight, the collision of every conflict, is faith–simple, loving, grateful faith: Lord, increase our faith. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The might and impotence of the conscience
I. ITS MIGHT.
1. It faithfully reminds of the evil committed.
2. Judges it rightly.
3. Chastises it rigorously.
II. ITS IMPOTENCE. It is not able–
1. To undo the past.
2. To make the present endurable.
3. To make the future hopeful. (Van Oosterzee.)
Insincere unbelief
That practical unbelief distrusts itself, disavows itself, and punishes itself.
I. ALL SUCH UNBELIEF, LIKE HERODS, DISTRUSTS ITSELF. Scepticism is never wholly satisfied with its own creed; never rests confidently on its own reasonings. So it was with Herod. As a Sadducee, he rejected the doctrine of the Resurrection, whether of angel or spirit. And yet, suddenly startled from his self-possession by an alarm of conscience, he is seen in the text to affirm strongly the truth whose denial was fundamental to his system l Sincere faith is serene, self-possessed, reliant. The traveller on the kings highway walks calmly and confidently, because he feels that his feet are on adamant; while he, in a marsh or a quicksand, is all restless and excited, through his distrust of the road. This very vapouring of unbelief in behalf of its tenets is significant of insincerity.
II. That all unbelief, like Herods, not only distrusts itself, BUT OFTEN, AND IN THE END, ALMOST ALWAYS DISAVOWS ITSELF! It may clamour against the hard things of revelation, as opposed to its instincts and its reason; yet will ever and anon make practical confession that they seem not unreasonable. This is strikingly exhibited in this history of Herod. Yea, and the texts illustration on this point goes much further. It shows, not only that the Resurrection is a reasonable doctrine, but that all the Bible teaches as to the effects of that Resurrection upon its subjects is as well reasonable and philosophic. These teachings may be embraced in two particulars–the positive identity, and the greatly enlarged powers and faculties of the Risen Immortal.
1. The Bible affirms this identity. The creature raised from the grave is to be the same creature who goes down into it. Death has no power to destroy or alter human nature. He says, It is John. It is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead!
2. The Bible teaches that, along with this identity, the raised body shall possess powers and faculties very greatly enlarged. Indeed, there is in human nature something instantly responding to the voices of revelation. And it is by reason of this that unlearned and weak-minded Christians do maintain their faith so grandly against all the assaults of philosophic infidelity. They cannot argue for the truth, but they can apprehend it. And this natural moral sense exists originally in all men. The Bible never came to a human spirit that did not at some time respond to its felt truthfulness.
III. Passing this, observe, That all such unbelief, like Herods, POSITIVELY PUNISHES ITSELF. Conscience! Conscience! It was itself a resurrection-power within him! And look at the Tetrarch now! His cheek pale, his lip quivering, his wild eye glaring upon vacancy! He starts from his couch! The wine-cup drops from his hand as he whispers with white lips, It is John the Baptist–he is risen from the dead! Ah me! What aileth the Tetrarch there amid princes and nobles? John the Baptist sleeps still in his distant grave. But a simple thought long buried within his murderers soul hath been unsepulchred! He thought to silence the living voice of Gods prophet, but that voice in the dark chambers of his soul will wake echoes for ever! Here then we say is a striking illustration of the power of a roused conscience as Gods avenger of sin. I have no room nor necessity here for an argument for retribution. I have only to do with this natural illustration. I am not prophesying what God will do, but only showing what man himself does! It is a favourite postulate, even of the infidel philosophy, that no impression once made on the thinking principle is ever obliterated. And it has doubtless happened unto you all to observe, how some trifling thing–a remark in conversation, the view of a familiar landscape, a strain ofsome longforgotten harmony, yea, a thing so slight as the rustle of a falling leaf, or the breath of a flowers perfume–has awakened in the mind a long train of recollections. Thoughts long forgotten move again powerfully within us; we are borne away suddenly to other scenes; we live virtually in other times and other conditions. The magic of memory has summoned from the past shadowy forms, faces, voices, it may be of the dead. They rise upon us, they move before us, as lifes great realities, and for the time we are under their mysterious power as our angels or avengers l Now, whether or not conscience be but a modification of memory, certain we are it follows the same great law. Conscience, too, may be beguiled for a season of its avenging power. But this you cannot do–you cannot destroy it. Sin, sin it is, as an operative principle within you, that, by arming conscience with an eye of fire and whip of scorpions, gives to the worm its fang, and to the fires their fierceness. Believe, if you will, that God is too merciful to make a hell. Yet you know, for you have seen, that every sinful man is making it. This is the law of mans moral nature, and under it you are all working out your own retribution. You are doing it always, each one for himself. (C. Wadsworth.)
Herod desiring to see Jesus;
It is a striking sentence with which Luke concludes his narrative–He desired to see Jesus. We are indeed told that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which the disciples of Jesus saw. Was this Prince of Galilee among those prophets and righteous men, earnestly longing for one glimpse of that mystery, which even angels desire to look into? Was his the desire of a longing holy heart? The evangelist leaves us in no doubt, for his desire was fulfilled; he did see Jesus. And I cannot but think that there is much significancy in the fact that the same writer who records the desire, is the only one who gives us the account of its accomplishment. The aged Simeon, too, desired to see Jesus, and when he saw Him, he said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. Certain Greeks, too, came to Philip and said, Sir, we desire to see Jesus, and when Jesus heard it, He said, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Thomas desired to see his risen Lord, and when he saw Him, he exclaimed, My Lord and my God. Herod desired to see Jesus, and when he saw Him, he and his men of war set Him at nought and mocked Him! Herod will once more see Jesus, and it will not be then Herod mocking Jesus, but, saith the Lord, Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all My counsel, I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh. (B. Bouchier, M. A.)
An accusing conscience
When Professor Webster was waiting his trial for murder, he is said to have complained of his fellow prisoners for insulting him through the walls of his cell, and screaming to him, You are a bloody man. On examination, the charge was found wholly groundless.
The accusing voices were imaginary–merely the echoes of a guilty conscience.
Conscience awakened
The long-forgotten sin is now remembered. Like the ground-swell after a storm, which, mariners tell us, appears long after the tempest has ceased, and far off from its locus, they come up in awful vividness before us As when a flash of lightning reveals but for a moment the dangers of the shipwrecked crew, so now there is an awful recollection of all our past transgressions. They have long been covered up, but only covered like the beautiful carvings of some old minister, or the frescoes on its walls were covered, before the hand of the restorer was brought to bear upon them. They were always clear and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Now we see them for a little with something of the insight that pertains to Him. (J. G. Pilkington.)
Emblem of a troubled conscience
There is a species of poplar whose leaves are often rustled by a breeze too faint to stir the foliage of other trees. Noticing the fact one day when there was scarcely a breath of air, Gotthold thought with himself, This tree is the emblem of a man with a wounded and uneasy conscience, which takes alarm at the most trifling cause, and agitates him to such a pitch, that he knows not whither to fly.
A guilty conscience
It gives a terrible form and a horrible voice to everything beautiful and musical without. It is said of Bessus, a native of Pelonia, in Greece:–Being one day seen by his neighbours pulling down some birds nests, and passionately destroying the young, they severely reproved him for his illnature and cruelty to those little innocent creatures that seemed to court his protection. He replied that their notes were to him insufferable, as they never ceased twitting of the murder of his father. The music of the sweet songsters of the grove are as the shrieks of hell to a guilty conscience startled from its grave. Let Byron describe its anguish, for who felt it more than he?–
The mind that broods oer guilty woes,
Is like the scorpion girt by fire;
In circle narrowing as it glows.
The flames around their captive close,
Till inly searched by thousand throes,
And maddening in her ire,
One sad and sole relief she knows,
The sting she nourished for her foes
Whose venom never yet was vain,
Gives but one pang and cures all pain,
And darts into her desperate brain:
So do the dark in soul expire,
Or live like scorpion girt by fire.
So writhes the mind remorse has riven,
Unfit for earth, undoomed for heaven,
Darkness above, despair beneath,
Around it flame, within it death.
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
Torments of conscience:–It is said of Charles IX., that he could never bear to lie awake at night unless his thoughts were diverted by the strains of music in an adjoining apartment; and of Tiberius, it is asserted that he declared to his senators that he suffered death daily.
Bad actions personified
Not in the sky, not in the midst of the sea, not if we enter into the clefts of the mountain, is there known a spot in the whole world where a man might be freed from an evil deed. Each action brings with it its inevitable consequences, which even God cannot change. In a region of black cold, says an Eastern sage, wandered a soul which had departed from the earth, and there stood before him a hideous woman, profligate and deformed. Who art thou? he cried. To him she answered, I am thine own actions.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. Herod the tetrarch] See note on Mt 2:1; Mt 14:1.
By him] This is omitted by BCDL, two others, the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, and four of the Itala. It is probable that Luke might have written, Herod, hearing of all the things that were done, c. but Matthew says particularly, that it was the fame of Jesus of which he heard: Mt 14:1.
He was perplexed;] He was greatly perplexed . from emphat. and , I am in perplexity. It is a metaphor taken from a traveller, who in his journey meets with several paths, one only of which leads to the place whither he would go; and, not knowing which to take, he is distressed with perplexity and doubt. The verb comes from , negative, and , a way or passage. A guilty conscience is a continual pest: – Herod had murdered John, and he is terribly afraid, lest he should arise from the dead, and bring his deeds to light, and expose him to that punishment which he deserved. See Mr 6:16.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This Herod was Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who had beheaded John the Baptist; he heareth of these great things done by Christ, and , saith the evangelist; it is a word that signifieth a great disturbance, and perplexity of mind, when a man is in doubt and fear, and knoweth not what counsels to take or follow: it is used Luk 24:4; Act 2:12; 5:24; 10:17. The other evangelists say Herod himself guessed it was John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded. Oh the power of a guilty conscience! He had murdered John, now he is afraid his ghost haunted him, or that his soul was entered into another body, that it might be revenged on him. Others guessed variously. Herod knoweth not what to think, but desireth to see Christ, possibly that he might make up some judgment about him, possibly out of mere curiosity. But we read not that he did see him until Pilate sent him to him after his examination of him, Luk 23:8.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. perplexedat a loss,embarrassed.
said of some, that John wasrisenAmong many opinions, this was the one which Herod himselfadopted, for the reason, no doubt, mentioned on Mr6:14.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now Herod the tetrarch,…. Of Galilee, and who is called a king in Mr 6:14 as he is here in the Ethiopic version:
heard of all that was done by him; of all the miracles that were wrought by Christ, and his apostles; the fame of which were the more spread through the mission of the apostles, and the journey they took through all the towns and cities of Galilee, which were in Herod’s jurisdiction; by which means he, and his court, came to the knowledge of them, the whole country, ringing with the account of the same:
and he was perplexed; anxious, and distressed, not knowing well what to think of Christ, and the different sentiments of men about him: be was afraid lest he should be John the Baptist risen from the dead, whom he had beheaded: he hesitated about it at first, though he afterwards was fully persuaded, in his own mind, that it was he, as some affirmed; and this gave him great uneasiness, and filled him with distress and horror:
because that it was said of some that John was risen from the dead; and he began to fear it was true, though willing to disbelieve it, at least to make a question of it, especially in public; though in private, to his own family and servants, he was free to tell his mind.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
All that was done ( ). Present middle participle, “all that was coming to pass.”
He was much perplexed (). Imperfect active of , to be thoroughly at a loss, unable to find a way out (, privative, , way), common ancient verb, but only in Luke’s writings in the N.T.
Because it was said ( ). Neat Greek idiom, the articular passive infinitive after . Three reports came to the ears of Herod as Luke has it, each introduced by (that) in indirect discourse: “By some” ( ), “by some” ( ), “by others” ( , not here expressed, but carried over). The verbs in the indirect discourse here (verses Luke 9:7; Luke 9:8) are all three aorists ( first passive; second passive; second active), not past perfects as the English has them.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The tetrarch. See on Mt 14:1.
That was done [ ] . The present participle. Lit., all that is being done.
Was perplexed [] . Used by Luke only. From dia, through, and ajporew, to be without a way out. The radical idea of the compound verb seems to be of one who goes through the whole list of possible ways, and finds no way out. Hence, to be in perplexity.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Now Herod the tetrarch heard,” (ekousen de Herodes ho tetraarches) “Then Herod the tetrarch heard,” received a report, Luk 9:9. It was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, who now reigned in Galilee. He was a frivolous man of low moral character.
2) “Of all that was done by him:” (ta ginomena panta) “About all the things that were done,” by those who had been sent forth by Jesus, as a result of the preaching and labors of the twelve apostles, Luk 9:1.
3) “And he was perplexed,” (kai dieporei) “And he was in a state of perplexity,” confused, uncertain, and fearful, Mar 6:14.
4) “Because it was said of some,” (dia to legesthai hupo tinon) “Because it was said by some,” reported or rumored by some who had heard the words and seen the deeds of Jesus. All agreed that Jesus was some great person.
5) “That John was risen from the dead.” (hoti loannes egerthe ek nekron) “That John was raised out of or from among the dead,” from among dead bodies, had been resurrected, Mar 6:14. For there is one that all men must one day meet, Act 17:31; Ecc 12:13-14; Heb 9:27.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES
Luk. 9:7. Herod the tetrarch.Herod Antipas (a son of Herod the Great), who now ruled in Galilee: of frivolous and dissolute character, with a vein of superstition and cunning running through it. He was at Jerusalem when Christ suffered, and was one of His judges. All that was done by Him.The best MSS. omit by Him: omitted in R.V. It is probable that the mission of the twelve drew more widespread attention to the work and claims of Christ, and that this reference to Herod is an indication of the fact. Of some.I.e. by some.
Luk. 9:8.Notice the apposite use of phrases relative to John and to Elijah: that John was risen from the dead? and that Elias had appeare?Elijah having been translated without tasting of death. One of the old prophets.Jeremiah was expected by some to appear again (cf. Mat. 14:14). See 2Es. 2:18; 2Ma. 2:4-8; 2Ma. 15:13-16.
Luk. 9:9. John have I beheaded.The I is emphatic both here and in the second clause of the verse: perhaps it is not too much to say that the form of the sentence indicates the growing concern and alarm excited in the mind of Herod by Christs increasing fame. Desired to see Him.Rather, sought to see Him (R.V.). His desire was at last gratified when Pilate sent Jesus to him as a prisoner; but his wish that Christ would perform some miracle met with no response from the Saviour (see chap. Luk. 23:7-12).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Luk. 9:7-9
Herod Antipas.The three synoptical evangelists furnish us with various details of the history of Herod Antipas, which, when combined, present a striking picture of the downward progress of one who has entered on a career of crime. He appears as an Eastern despot, capricious, sensual, and superstitious; who speaks with the pride of an Ahasuerus, and yet is the slave of a Jezebel; in whose earlier history there were hopeful elements, but who in the end seems to have outlived them all, and to have been hopelessly hardened and reprobate.
I. The hopeful period in his life.He is affected by the widespread movement inaugurated by John the Baptist. Righteousness, though presented in its sternest form by the preacher of the wilderness, compels his respect and admiration. He cannot, either, be insensible to the power and authority which clothe Gods servant; and so he gladly listens to John, and even goes so far as to attempt to observe some of his precepts. So far he stands on the same level with the soldiers, publicans, and harlots, who were moved to outward reformation of life in view of the coming of the kingdom of God.
II. The turning-point in his life.He is reminded by the Baptist of the unlawful connection he had formed with the wife of his own brother, and is forced to decide between the claims of righteousness and the promptings of evil passions. He silenees the voice of conscience, and imprisons the man who had had the courage to tell him of his sin. His vacillation between good and evil is shown by his treatment of the Baptist: he protects John for a time against the rage of Herodias, and though he keeps him a prisoner he allows his disciples to have access to him. But once he has failed to take up a decided stand against evil, he grows daily weaker and weaker, and at last he consents to give orders for the execution of Gods prophet. He is indeed entrapped into the murder of the Baptist, but the snare that catches him is of the weakest, flimsiest character. Infinitely better would it have been for him to break his word than to dip his hands in the blood of one whom he knew was holy, and to do this for the gratification of a hatred which was base and cruel, and with which he did not sympathise.
III. His final state.He is shaken with superstitious fears when he is told of the mighty works of Christ and of His apostles. In place of the one preacher of righteousness whom he had slain, another and even greater has arisen, and is multiplying His work twelvefold by means of those whom He has sent forth through the length and breadth of the land. He desired to see Him. But it was the curiosity not of faith, but of unbeliefof a heart hardening, if not already hardened, against holy impressions. He doubtless heard of our Saviours heavenly discourses, of His deeds of love, and miracles of mercy; but the report of these things wrought none of those blessed effects on Herod which they produced on guileless and innocent hearts. His curiosity, when at length he saw Jesus as a prisoner, proved to be of the most frivolous kind: he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him (chap. Luk. 23:8). And he who had slain the Baptist became associated with Pilate in the murder of the Prince of life.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Luk. 9:7-9
Luk. 9:7. The Cowardice of Sinners.It is the curse of unbelief that a cowardly heart is given to sinners: the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them: and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth (Lev. 26:36 : cf. Job. 15:20-21).
Luk. 9:8. That Elijah had appeared.Elijah was expected to appear before the coming of Christ. Hence the inquiry in Joh. 1:21, and in Mat. 17:11; hence also the suspicion expressed in Luk. 9:19; and hence the scoff of the populace as our Saviour hung upon the crossLet be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.
Luk. 9:9. He desired to see Him.The desire was fulfilled; but no sign of grace to Herod was implied by this fulfilment. For Christ did not come to Herod of His own free-will, but was brought into his presence by those who had seized and bound Him.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Appleburys Comments
The Reaction of Herod the Tetrarch
Scripture
Luk. 9:7-9 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done: and he was much perplexed, because that it was said by some, that John was risen from the dead; 8 and by some, that Elijah had appeared; and by others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. 9 And Herod said, John I beheaded: but who is this, about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him.
Comments
he was perplexed.Herod who had beheaded John the Baptist was disturbed by the reports he was hearing about the miracles of Jesus. Some tried to explain them by assuming that He was Elijah or one of the old prophets who had been raised from the dead (Mal. 4:5; Deu. 18:15). Some were saying that He was John who had risen. Herod seems to have accepted this view for a time, for his disturbed conscience was searching for an answer to its guilt. He decided to kill Jesus too, assuming that that would ease his conscience (Luk. 13:31). The only thing, however, that cleanses an evil conscience is the blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary (Heb. 9:14; Heb. 10:22; 1Pe. 3:21).
But Herods conscience didnt bother him very long, for when Pilate sent Jesus to him during the trial he was exceeding glad: for he was of a long time desirous to see him, because he had heard concerning him; and he hoped to see some miracle done by him (Luk. 23:8).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7-9) Because that it was said of some, . . .See Notes on Mat. 14:1-2; Mar. 6:14-16. In Mat. 14:2, and Mar. 6:14, Herod is represented as himself expressing this belief. St. Luke states, probably from his knowledge of the Herodian household (see Introduction), that it did not originate with him, and that his mind was, for a time, in suspense.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
61. HEROD HEARS OF THE FAME OF JESUS AND DESIRES TO SEE HIM, Luk 9:7-9 .
See notes on parallel sections, Mat 14:1-2; Mar 6:14-16.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some, that John was risen from the dead, and by some, that Elijah had appeared, and by others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.’
The news of these activities inevitably reached Herod through his spies, and it had also become a talking point everywhere. He was very perplexed because of the rumours that were spreading about. Some were saying that his old adversary John the Baptiser was risen from the dead, possibly seeing it as a vindication of John and looking venomously at Herod. Others declared confidently that Elijah had appeared. Elijah was very much an expected figure on the basis of Mal 4:5. Still others said that it was one of the other prophets (compare Mat 16:14). The return of Isaiah and Jeremiah is anticipated in extra-Biblical Jewish literature, for example in 2Es 2:18, suggesting that this was a part of Jewish tradition. Note the neat distinction between those who had been raised, and Elijah, who had never died but had simply been taken up into Heaven. This is all preparing us for Luk 9:19-20. It also lets us know what kind of questions the Apostles would have to face on their mission.
This is the first notice that we have in Luke of the fact that John is dead. The next verse will tell us how he died.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Herod’s interest in Jesus:
v. 7. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some that John was risen from the dead;
v. 8. and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
v. 9. And Herod said, John have I beheaded but who is this of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see Him. Herod was at this time probably living at Tiberius, a city which he had practically rebuilt to fit in with his great plans. Rumors of the activity of a certain rabbi in Galilee may have reached the tetrarch of this province before, but he was too busy with his profligate life to pay much attention to them. But here, in the very region in which many of the greatest miracles of Jesus were performed, the courtiers of Herod supplied him with information concerning the movement among the people, probably not without a hint as to its possible dangerousness, for the Herodian party was strong. The news of the great Prophet bothered Herod, it embarrassed him, it placed him in a quandary; he did not know what to make of it. Various reports came to his ears, some saying that John had risen from the dead; others, that Elijah had been revealed, for their understanding of Mal 4:5 was of the real Elijah; still others, that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod’s conscience was pricking him, for he had been guilty of murder, a fact which is here merely referred to briefly. Herod knew that he had beheaded John in the prison, for the sake of his stepdaughter Salome, and now that this Prophet had arisen, with a message so much like that of the Baptist, he brooded on the matter and was anxious to see Jesus, in order that he might be satisfied as to His identity. Herod’s position and manner of acting is that of a great many people that do not wish to break entirely with the Church. They may, under circumstances, hear a sermon and even form a liking for some preacher. But when they are placed before the choice: Christ or the world, they choose the latter. But their conscience will give them no rest; in the midst of all apparent happiness their defection gives them no peace. God is not mocked.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Luk 9:7. And he was perplexed, He was exeedingly anxious. The word strongly expresses a mixture of doubt and fear, which must necessarily throw the mind into a very uneasy situation.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Luk 9:7-9 . See on Mat 14:1 f.; Mar 6:14-16 .
To the of Mar 6:14 , which Luke in this place evidently has before him, he adds a definite object, although taken very generally, by means of : everything which was done , whereby is meant, which was done by Jesus (Luk 9:9 ).
] he was in great perplexity , and could not in the least arrive at certainty as to what he should think of the person of Jesus. This was the uncertainty of an evil conscience. Only Luke has the word in the New Testament. It very often occurs in the classical writers. On the accentuation , see Lipsius, Gramm. Unters . p. 49.
Luk 9:8 . ] “Nam Elias non erat mortuus,” Bengel.
Luk 9:9 . What Matthew and Mark make Herod utter definitely, according to Luke he leaves uncertain ; the account of Luke is hardly more original (de Wette, Bleek), but, on the contrary, follows a more faded tradition, for the character of the secondary writer is to be discerned in the entire narrative (in opposition to Weizscker). The twofold has the emphasis of the terrified heart.
] he longed to see Him . Comp. Luk 23:8 . He hoped, by means of a personal conference (Luk 8:20 ) with this marvellous man, to get quit of his distressing uncertainty. That Herod seemed disposed to greet Him as the risen John, and that accordingly Christ had the prospect of a glowing reception at court, Lange reads into the simple words just as arbitrarily as Eichthal reads into them a partiality for Herod on the part of Luke.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
b. The Alarm Of Herod (Luk 9:7-9)
7Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him [om., by him, V. O.2]: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of [by] some, that John was risen from 8the dead; And of [by] some, that Elias [Elijah] had appeared; and of [by] others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. 9And Herod said, John have I beheaded; but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Luk 9:7. Now Herod the tetrarch.Comp. Mat 14:1-12; Mar 6:16-29. Matthew and Mark have united the account of Herods trouble of conscience with that of the beheading of John. Luke, who had already, Luk 3:19-20, related the imprisonment of the Baptist, intimates here, with only a word, its end; on the other hand, his Gospel is, in its turn, particularly rich in traits of importance for the psychology of Herod, which at the same time depict to us the ever-deepening degeneracy of the tyrant in a moral respect. Comp. Luk 13:31-33; Luk 23:6-12.
All that was done.As well by the Lord Himself as by His messengers, who in these very days were in His name casting out devils. The terror of Herod becomes more comprehensible if we consider that the beheading of the Baptist had taken place in the same period, and that therefore his conscience had had as yet no time to go to sleep. Although John, during his life, did no miracles, Joh 10:41, yet it might be very easily imagined that he, if after his death he had once again returned to life, was equipped with miraculous powers. Elijah might be thought of, as he had not died; one of the old prophets finally, since the return of some of them in the days of the Messiah was expected.
Luk 9:9. John have I beheaded.Not so much the language of a terrified conscience (Meyer) as rather a painful uncertainty. Scarcely has he known how to relieve himself of John, than he already hears of another, to whom they now again ascribe in addition a so astonishing and miraculous energy. What must he now think of this one, or fear from him? Just because he does not know, he desires to see Him himself, as also afterwards to kill Him, Luk 13:31. In Luke it is the expression of uneasy uncertainty, in Matthew and Mark the fixed idea of an awakened conscience, that comes especially into view. One moment the one, another the other, feeling might be the predominant one.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The terror of Herod at the report of Jesus is an indirect argument for the reality and multiplicity of His miracles, and has so far an apologetical worth. A Herod is not a man to allow himself so quickly to be perplexed by an insignificant or ungrounded rumor.
2. In the person and activity of the Saviour there is this peculiarity, that those with whom the moral and religious perceptions are wholly blunted and choked, do not know what to make of Him. They are terrified by the very sound of His footsteps, but they themselves scarcely know why.
3. Conceptions whose reality the understanding cannot earnestly believe may yet be terrifying to the conscience. Herod undoubtedly scoffs at the Pharisees ideas of immortality, and yet he trembles at spectres.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The fame of the Saviour makes its way everywhere.The gospel a savor of death unto death.The might and the impotency of the conscience. The might: 1. It faithfully reminds of the evil committed, 2. judges it righteously, 3. chastises it rigorously. Its impotency; it is not in condition: 1. To undo the past, 2. to make the present endurable, 3. to make the future hopeful.The influence of the awakened conscience on the conceptions of the understanding.The unworthy desire to see Jesus. (For the opposite, see Joh 12:20-22.)
Starke:Truth makes its way more easily to ordinary hearers than to great lords.There have been many mistaken opinions concerning Christ spread abroad, but faithful teachers must be skilled to refute the same.The evil conscience is fearful, and takes fright at a shaken leaf, Job 15:20.Comp. two admirable sermons of A. Monod, upon the beheading of John the Baptist, in the second collection of his Sermons.
Footnotes:
[2]Luk 9:1.Rec.: . Om. B., C.1, D., L., [Cod. Sin.].
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
(7) Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; (8) And of some, that Elias had appeared: and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. (9) And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this of whom I hear such things? and he desired to see him.
We have noticed this man before, Mat 14:1 , and Mar 6:14 . Were it not for his connection with scripture history, how little would his name have been known in the present hour: but how little to be regarded now, but for the instruction his awful character holds forth? Oh how plain is it that purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day, have nothing to do to make up happiness! A guilty conscience, and the fear of death, are enough to throw down all the props of such outside splendor.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
Ver. 7. And he was perplexed ] Pendebat, animi dubius. He stood amused and amazed: he stuck in the mud, as it were, and could find no way out. This is the import of the Greek word . Thus the wicked in the fulness of his sufficiency is in straits, as Zophar hath it,Job 15:22Job 15:22 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7 9. ] HEROD ANTIPAS HEARS OF THE FAME OF JESUS THROUGH THE DOINGS OF THE TWELVE. Mat 14:1-12 .Mar 6:14-29Mar 6:14-29 . How inexplicable would be the omission of the death of John the Baptist , by the Evangelist who has given so particular an account of his ministry, (ch. Luk 3:1-20 ,) if Luke had had before him the narratives of Matt. and Mark.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
7. ] , of the re [73] ., though a gloss, points to the right account of the matter. Herod (see Mark) heard the account of the miracles wrought by the Twelve; but even then it was which was spread abroad. These works were done in their Master’s Name, and in popular rumour passed for His .
[73] The Textus Receptus or received text of the Greek Testament. Used in this Edition when elz and Steph agree
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 9:7-9 . Herod’s interest in Jesus (Mat 14:1-2 , Mar 6:14-16 ). as in Mt., in Mk. , all the things which were happening, most naturally taken as referring to the mission of the Twelve, though it is difficult to believe that Herod had not heard of Jesus till then. , was utterly perplexed, in Lk.’s writings only. . What Lk. represents as said by some, Mt. and Mk., doubtless truly, make Herod himself say. Vide notes on Mt. and Mk.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Luk 9:7-9
7Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. 9Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
Luk 9:7 “Herod the tetrarch” This refers to Herod Antipas. He was the one who had John the Baptist beheaded and was ruler of Galilee and Perea. He took power from his father, Herod the Great, in 4 B.C. and reigned until A.D. 39. See Special Topic: The Family of Herod the Great at Luk 3:1.
Luke mentions this Herod often.
1. his perplexity and desire to see Jesus, Luk 9:7-9
2. his attempt to kill Jesus, Luk 13:31-33
3. his questioning of Jesus at the request of Pilate, Luk 23:8-12
“he was greatly perplexed” This is an imperfect active indicative, which refers to repeated action in past time. Luke uses this term (diapore) several times (Luk 9:7; Act 2:12; Act 5:24; Act 10:17). It is not used by any other NT writers.
“John had risen from the dead” Matthew (cf. Mat 14:2) and Mark (cf. Mar 6:14) tell us that Herod was worried about Jesus being John the Baptist.
Luk 9:8 “by some that Elijah had appeared” In this context all three of the guesses involve a resuscitation. They are repeated again in Luk 9:19. Elijah and John the Baptist were both prophets, similar in their lifestyle and dress.
Luk 9:9 “I myself had John beheaded” The fuller account is in Mar 6:14-29.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Herod, &c. See App-109.
was done = was being done “by Him”.
by. Greek. hupo. App-104. [L] T Tr. A WH R omit “by Him”.
perplexed = bewildered: i.e. seeing no way out. Greek. diaporeo. Used only by Luke, here; Luk 24:4. Act 2:12; Act 5:24; Act 10:17.
because. Greek. dia. App-104. Luk 9:2.
of = by. Greek. hupo. App-104.
from = out from. Greek. ek. App-104.
the dead = dead people. No Art. See App-139.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
7-9.] HEROD ANTIPAS HEARS OF THE FAME OF JESUS THROUGH THE DOINGS OF THE TWELVE. Mat 14:1-12. Mar 6:14-29. How inexplicable would be the omission of the death of John the Baptist, by the Evangelist who has given so particular an account of his ministry, (ch. Luk 3:1-20,) if Luke had had before him the narratives of Matt. and Mark.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 9:7. , was perplexed) They who have not faith are liable to be miserably carried about by the various opinions of others. [And whosoever are given to self-indulgence (whoever indulge their appetites), their disquieting alarms are at once excited, as soon as ever anything falls upon them connected with spiritual matters.-V. g.]
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Chapter 53
Who Is This?
When he had heard of the great works Christ had done, Herod asked, Who is this, of whom I hear such things? All believers rest the hopes of their immortal souls upon the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. We believe that Jesus is the Christ (1Jn 5:1). He is the Foundation upon which we have built our hopes of eternal life. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah, promised by God in all the Old Testament prophets.
Peters confession, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mat 16:16), is the foundation of the entire Christian world, the church of God, and the gospel of God. If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, the Messiah promised in the Old Testament scriptures, he is not the Son of God. If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, his obedience to God is of no benefit to us. If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, his death upon the cross has no saving virtue and we are yet in our sins. If Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, if he is not the Messiah, if he is not God incarnate, he was the slickest, most devious charlatan who ever lived.
Our faith says, We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Joh 6:69). But are you really sure? There have been many others who claimed to be Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. Perhaps it would be good for us to ask of Jesus what John the Baptist asked of him Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Mat 11:3). Herod asked, Who is this?
Suppose you were witnessing to a Jew and he said to you, Show me from the Old Testament scriptures that the Jesus you worship is the Messiah. Could you do it? I want to show you from the Old Testament scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary, who was crucified at Jerusalem more than two thousand years ago, is indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God.
To answer Herods question, look first at Psa 40:6-8. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. It is impossible to honestly apply these words to anyone but the Messiah. Indeed, the Jewish commentators from ancient times have said that this Psalm is a messianic prophecy. And, of course, the Apostle declares in the Book of Hebrews (Luk 10:5-10) that this prophecy is fulfilled in the Person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. In these three verses the Prophet David tells us four things which will identify the true Messiah of Israel. These four things find their fulfilment only in Jesus Christ our Lord. Here David tells us that when the Christ, the Messiah comes …
(1.) The sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship will cease. (2.) He will be Jehovahs voluntary Servant. (3.) The body of scripture prophecy will be fulfilled. (4.) He will perfectly accomplish the will of God.
Search the scriptures and see for yourself that the types, promise, and prophecies of the Old Testament scriptures weave a garment that is tailor made to fit only one man. That man is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And that man is our Saviour, the Lord Jesus.
The End Of The Law
First, David tells us that when the Messiah has come all the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship would cease. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire. The sacrifices, ceremonies and laws of the Mosaic economy were never intended to be a means of salvation. God never had pleasure and satisfaction in them. They could not remove sin, satisfy justice or make men righteous before God (Heb 10:1-10). The sacrifices and ceremonies of the law were only useful as types and shadows of Christ to show the nature and necessity of his redemptive work. Once they were fulfilled they must cease to be, because they have no other service.
The law given by Moses was designed by God to identify and expose sin, to deter men from deeds of iniquity, and to show the necessity of a Substitute. Once the law had served its purpose, since it has been fulfilled by Christ, it has no other use and has ceased to have power over men (Rom 10:4).
The Old Testament scriptures constantly reminded the Jews that God had no regard for their sacrifices and ceremonies except as they typified Christ and were observed by faith in him.
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1Sa 15:22).
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? (Psa 50:7-13).
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psa 51:16-17).
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them (Isa 1:11-14).
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Dan 9:27).
These five passages from the Old Testament scriptures, read without comment, demonstrate clearly that the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship were never intended to be perpetual. They were only temporary pictures of Christ. Even the Mosaic covenant, as set forth in what we commonly call The Ten Commandments, was only designed to be a temporary covenant (Jer 31:31-34; cf. Heb 8:7-13). The law of God as a covenant, a rule of life and the revelation of Gods righteous requirements from men was designed to lead us to Christ, by whom it is fulfilled (Gal 3:24-25). And when Christ came, the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament did cease to be observed.
David, at least a thousand years before Christ came, intimated that when he came, he would accomplish that which no sacrifice, ceremony, or law could accomplish (redemption, justification, righteousness and forgiveness). The laws, sacrifices, and ceremonies of Israel were only scaffolding, temporarily necessary for the building of his kingdom, but now removed. All the Jewish sacrifices and ceremonies ceased to have significance when Christ died. And all ceased to exist when God destroyed both Jerusalem and Judaism in 70 A.D. The priesthood ceased. The temple ceased. The sacrifices ceased. The nation ceased!
Here is the first evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah. When he finished his work, the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship ceased. To demonstrate it, the veil of the temple was ripped apart. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent (Mat 27:51). Though the Jews look for a future Messiah and deny that Jesus is the Christ, their hopes are as foolish as they are vain. How could this prophecy be fulfilled again?
Jehovahs Servant
Second, David shows us that the Messiah, the Christ, must be a man who is Jehovahs voluntary Servant (Exo 21:1-6). The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and performed his work as the voluntary Servant of his Father (Isa 42:1-4; Isa 50:5-7; Heb 10:5-7; Joh 10:16-18; Luk 12:50).
He who is Jehovahs voluntary Servant is Jehovahs equal! All angels, men, creatures, devils and events must serve God, because he is the Creator of all things. All rational beings are morally obligated to serve God, because we live upon his bounty. But Christ came to serve the Father voluntarily. He owed nothing and had nothing to gain, for he is himself Jehovah. That Man who is the Christ is himself God (Psa 45:6-7).
Jehovahs Servant came into the world with a specific mission to accomplish (Mat 1:21). Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, Messiah was promised, looked for and trusted as that One who would come to restore his fallen people to the everlasting favour of God, by putting away their sins (Isa 61:1-3; Luk 4:18). Either Jesus of Nazareth has effectually redeemed and saved Gods elect, or he is not the Christ. The Christ of Arminian, freewill religion is a false christ. We know he is, because Messiahs eternal glory and exaltation is dependent and conditioned upon the success of his redemptive, saving work (Psa 2:7-8; Psa 65:4; Psa 110:3). The Lord God declares of his righteous Servant, whom he chose to be our Saviour, he shall not fail! (Isa 42:4). And fail he will not (Joh 6:37-40; Joh 10:16; Heb 10:10).
Prophecy Fulfilled
Third, the Prophet David assured us that when the Christ, the Messiah, has come, the volume of scripture prophecy would be fulfilled. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me. These words, the volume of the book, may refer to the book of Gods secret, eternal decrees (Rev 5:1; Rev 10:2); but they certainly refer to the written revelation of God contained in the Old Testament scriptures.
The writings of the Old Testament prophets abound in predictions of the Messiah, the Christ. God promised Abraham, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. When Jacob blessed the tribe of Judah, he spoke of Shiloh to whom the gathering of the people would be. Moses spoke of that Prophet whom the Lord God would raise up, whom the people of God would hear. In the Psalms and the prophets Messiah is given a variety of titles: The Anointed of the Lord, The King, Davids Lord, The Child Born, The Son Given, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, Gods Servant Whom He Upholds, Messiah the Prince, Gods Elect In Whom He Delights, The Branch, The Lord Our Righteousness, The Messenger Of The Covenant.
All these names and titles belong to the Messiah. But are they all fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth? If they are, then he is the Christ. If they are not, we must look for another. The prophecies of the Old Testament give us eight specific things which must characterize the Messiah. By these eight things, the Christ is identified. And these eight things can be, with honesty, applied to no man in history, past or future, except Jesus of Nazareth, who is indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God.
1. The time of Messiahs coming was clearly marked out in prophecy. God told no one the day and hour when Christ would come. But he did identify the time in history. Those looking forward to the coming of Christ could not predict it. But those looking back cannot mistake it. Christ has come! The coming of Messiah must fit into a very specific time frame. It had to be before the destruction of civil government in Judah (Gen 49:10), but while the temple was still standing in Jerusalem (Hag 2:6-9). Messiah had to appear about the middle of Daniels 70th week (Dan 9:24-27), which would be 453-457 years after the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem began (33 A.D.), the year that Christ died (Dan 9:24-27). Thirty-seven years later (70 A.D.) Jerusalem was destroyed. The Messiah had to come into the world during the time that Jesus of Nazareth lived upon the earth. He could not have come at any other time.
2. The place where Messiah would be born was plainly foretold. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, (not Zebulon, but Ephratah!) though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Mic 5:2).
3. The family from which Messiah must come was the house of David (Psa 132:11; Isa 11:1). The Jews debated about many things. But they never questioned the genealogy of the Lord Jesus.
4. Furthermore, all the miracles performed by the Lord Jesus declare him to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of David (Isa 29:18; Isa 35:5-6; Isa 42:6-7; Mat 11:2-4).
5. The Messiah must be one who comes as a King distinguished by his humiliation, meekness and lowliness (Zec 9:9; Mat 21:1-9).
6. It was prophesied that the Messiah must suffer and die by the hands of wicked men. Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself (Dan 9:26; Isa 53:1-12). Our Lords tormenters used the very words and performed the very deeds he had predicted by his prophets (see Psalms 22). Those words which describe the betrayal, shame, crucifixion and death of the Christ could find fulfilment only in the death of Jesus of Nazareth.
7. The scriptures declared plainly that Messiah would rise from the dead before his body had begun to decay (Psa 16:9-11; Isa 53:10-12).
8. And the prophets plainly asserted that Messiah, the Christ, would set up his kingdom among the Gentiles by the outpouring of his Spirit upon them (Isa 49:5-6; Joe 2:28-32; Gal 3:13-14).
Here are the prophecies given by David and fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth, by which we know and are sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God: he put an end to the sacrifices and ceremonies of legal worship by fulfilling them. He came into the world as Jehovahs voluntary Servant. He fulfilled the volume of Old Testament prophecy to the letter.
Gods Will Performed
But I have saved the best until the last. Here is the greatest, most blessed assurance we have. By this, above all else, we know that Jesus our Saviour is the Christ. David tells us that the Christ, the Messiah, whoever he is, will perfectly accomplish the will of God. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
When the Lord Jesus came into this world, he came with delight to do his Fathers will. He delighted in that of which God approves. He delighted in that which God had appointed. And the law of God was in his heart, so that both inwardly and outwardly, he was perfectly holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sin. He knew no sin!
We know that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God, because he perfectly performed all the precepts of Gods revealed will in the law. He brought in an everlasting righteousness. He freely yielded himself to all the performances of Gods providential will. His life showed his hearts desire and determination, which he spoke in Gethsemane, Not my will, thy will be done! Our Lord Jesus made complete satisfaction and propitiation to Gods justice, satisfying the penalty of the law. And in doing these things he accomplished the complete salvation of Gods elect (Heb 10:5-14).
Christ came to do the Fathers will. He came to save his people. And he has done it. We know that Jesus is the Christ, because God accepted his work (Rom 1:9-10; Rom 8:32-34; 1Jn 5:1).
Who is this? Jesus is the Christ. We know he is because he has fulfilled all that God said the Messiah would do. He put an end to legal sacrifices and ceremonies. He came as a voluntary Saviour. He accomplished all the prophecies. He performed all the will of God. We who believe know that Jesus is the Christ, because he has been revealed in us by the power of his Spirit in saving grace; and his blood, applied to our hearts, has purged our consciences of guilt before God. We prove his Divinity, Messiahship, and Saving Power by faith. We trust him. We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God (Joh 6:69).
Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
am 4036, ad 32
Herod: Job 18:11, Job 18:12, Psa 73:19, Mat 14:1-12, Mar 6:14-28
Tetrarch: A tetrarch, [Strong’s G5076], from [Strong’s G5069], four, and [Strong’s G746], government, properly signifies a prince, or ruler over a quarter of any region; and had its origin from Galatia, which was governed by four princes. In the New Testament, however, it denotes a prince, or king, who reigns over the fourth part of a former kingdom. By Herod’s will his kingdom was thus divided among his sons: Archelaus had one-half, consisting of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria; Herod Antipas, one-fourth, consisting of Galilee and Perea; and Philip the remaining fourth, consisting of Batanea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis.
he: Luk 21:25, Isa 22:5, Mic 7:4
Reciprocal: Mar 8:28 – John Luk 3:1 – Herod Luk 8:3 – Herod’s Luk 9:9 – John Luk 9:19 – John Luk 13:32 – that fox Luk 19:3 – he sought Luk 23:8 – for Joh 3:24 – General Rev 20:4 – the souls
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7
This Herod was a son of Herod the Great. A tetrarch was a ruler over a division of a general territory. John was risen from the dead is explained at Mat 14:2.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
LET us mark, in this passage, the power of a bad conscience. We are told that “when Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by our Lord, he was perplexed.” He said, “John have I beheaded, but who is this?” Great and powerful as he was, the tidings of our Lord’s ministry called his sins to remembrance, and disturbed him even in his royal palace. Surrounded as he was by everything which is considered to make life enjoyable, the report of another preacher of righteousness filled him with alarm. The recollection of his own wickedness in killing John the Baptist flashed on his mind. He knew he had done wrong. He felt guilty, self-condemned, and self-dissatisfied. Faithful and true is that saying of Solomon’s, “The way of transgressors is hard.” (Pro 13:15.) Herod’s sin had found him out. The prison and the sword had silenced John the Baptist’s tongue, but they could not silence the voice of Herod’s inward man. God’s truth can neither be silenced, nor bound, nor killed.
Conscience is a most powerful part of our natural constitution. It cannot save our souls. It never leads a man to Christ. It is often blind, and ignorant, and misdirected. Yet conscience often raises a mighty testimony against sin in the sinner’s heart, and makes him feel that “it is an evil and a bitter thing” to depart from God. Young persons ought especially to remember this, and, remembering it, to take heed to their ways. Let them not flatter themselves that all is right, when their sins are past, and done, and forgotten by the world. Let them know that conscience can bring up each sin before the eyes of their minds, and make it bite like a serpent. Millions will testify at the last day that Herod’s experience was their own. Conscience called old sins from their graves, and made them walk up and down in their hearts. In the midst of seeming happiness and prosperity they were inwardly miserable and distressed. Happy are they who have found the only cure for a bad conscience! Nothing will ever heal it but the blood of Christ.
Let us mark, secondly, the importance to Christians of occasional privacy and retirement. We are told, that when the apostles returned from their first ministerial work, our Lord “took them and went aside privately into a desert place.” We cannot doubt that this was done with a deep meaning. It was meant to teach the great lesson that those who do public work for the souls of others, must be careful to make time for being alone with God.
The lesson is one which many Christians would do well to remember. Occasional retirement, self-inquiry, meditation, and secret communion with God, are absolutely essential to spiritual health. The man who neglects them is in great danger of a fall. To be always preaching, teaching, speaking, writing, and working public works, is, unquestionably, a sign of zeal. But it is not always a sign of zeal according to knowledge. It often leads to untoward consequences. We must make time occasionally for sitting down and calmly looking within, and examining how matters stand between our own selves and Christ. The omission of the practice is the true account of many a backsliding which shocks the Church, and gives occasion to the world to blaspheme. Many could say with sorrow, in the words of Canticles, “They made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard have I not kept.” (Song of Son 1:6.)
Let us mark, lastly, in this passage, our Lord Jesus Christ’s readiness to receive all who come to Him. We are told, that when the multitude followed Him into the desert, whither He had retired, “he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.” Unmannerly and uninvited as this intrusion on his privacy seems to have been, it met with no rebuff from our Lord. He was always more ready to give instruction than people were to ask it, and more willing to teach than people were to be taught.
But the incident, trifling as it may seem, exactly tallies with all that we read in the Gospels of the gentleness and condescension of Christ. We never see Him dealing with people according to their deserts. We never find Him scrutinizing the motives of His hearers, or refusing to allow them to learn of Him, because their hearts were not right in the sight of God. His ear was always ready to hear, and His hand to work, and His tongue to preach. None that came to Him were ever cast out. Whatever they might think of His doctrine, they could never say that Jesus of Nazareth was “an austere man.”
Let us remember this in all our dealings with Christ about our own souls. We may draw near to Him with boldness, and open our hearts to Him with confidence. He is a Savior of infinite compassion and loving kindness. He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. The secrets of our spiritual life may be such as we would not have our dearest friends know. The wounds of our consciences may be deep and sore, and require most delicate handling. But we need not fear anything, if we commit all to Jesus, the Son of God. We shall find that His kindness is unbounded. His own words shall be found abundantly true: “I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls.” (Mat 11:29.)
Let us remember this, finally, in our dealing with other people, if we are called upon to give them help about their souls. Let us strive to walk in the steps of Christ’s example, and, like Him, to be kind, and patient, and always willing to aid. The ignorance of young beginners in religion is sometimes very provoking. We are apt to be wearied of their instability, and fickleness, and halting between two opinions. But let us remember Jesus, and not be weary. He “received all,” spake to all, and did good to all. Let us go and do likewise. As Christ deals with us, so let us deal one with another.
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Notes-
v7.-[He was perplexed.] The Greek word so translated, is rendered, in Luk 24:4, “much perplexed.” In the only three other places where it is used in the New Testament, it is translated, “doubted,” or, “was in doubt.” (Act 2:12; Act 5:24; Act 10:17.)
[Risen from the dead.] Let it be noted, that a resurrection from the dead is spoken of here, and in the following verses, as a thing which was commonly believed and acknowledged as true among the Jews. The notion, that the Jews, before Christ, knew nothing of a resurrection or another life, is utterly untenable.
v9.-[I beheaded…I hear.] Let it be noted that the Greek word for “I,” is twice repeated in this verse. Alford thinks that the repetition “implies personal concern and alarm at the growing fame of Jesus.”
v10.-[He took them and went aside privately.] Let the words of Cecil, on this subject, be carefully weighed. “If a man would seriously set himself to work, he must retire from the crowd. He must not live in a bustle. If he is always driving through the business of the day, he will be so in harness, as not to observe the road he is going.”
Again, he says; “I know not how it is that some Christians can make so little of recollection and retirement. I find the spirit of the world a strong assimilating principle. I find it hurrying away minds in its wake, and sinking men among the dregs and filth of a carnal nature. Even my ministerial employment would degenerate into a mere following of my trade, and crying of my wares. I am obliged to withdraw myself regularly,, and say to my heart, ‘What are you doing? Where are you?’ “
Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Luk 9:7-9. THE ALARM OF HEROD. See on Mat 14:1-12; Mar 6:14-29. The other two Evangelists give in this connection the particulars of the death of John the Baptist; Luke, who has given so full an account of his birth, only alludes to it.
Heard of all that was done. By Him is a proper explanation, but not in the original. Herod heard of the miracles wrought by the Twelve, but thus His name was spread abroad (Mark).
Because that it was said by some. The difference of opinion only served to increase the perplexity of his bad conscience.
Elijah had appeared (Luk 9:8). Not had risen, for Elijah had not died.
John I beheaded, etc. (Luk 9:9). I is emphatic (according to the usual reading in the second clause also), indicating both terror of conscience at the past act, and uncertainty about this person of whom he hears so much. His desire to see Him was due to this feeling.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The history of the holy Baptist’s beheading by Herod, is briefly here hinted at, by St. Luke, but not so largely set forth by him as we find it by St. Matthew, Mat 14:10 and St. Mark Mar 6:27. See the notes there. That which St. Luke takes particular notice of is, that great perplexity of mind which Herod’s guilty conscience did occasion; he had murdered John, and now is afraid his Ghost haunted him; Herod was perplexed.
Learn hence, that guilt is naturally troublesome and uneasy: it disturbs the peace and serenity of the mind, and fills the soul with storms and thunder. Guilt is always full of fear; every thing affrights the guilty. A bad man is a terror to himself, and needs no farther disquietment than what his own guilty conscience does occasion him.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Luk 9:7-9. Now Herod heard of all that was done by him The twelve apostles preaching in the towns of Galilee, and confirming their doctrine by many mighty miracles, raised the attention and expectation of all men more than ever. For they could not but think it a most extraordinary and marvellous thing, that Christ could not only work miracles himself, but impart the power of working them to others, even to whomsoever he pleased; a thing never heard of in the world before, and which evidently rendered him far superior to all the prophets, and certainly was an amazing and most convincing proof of his being the Messiah. This circumstance, it seems, aggrandized him more than any other thing, and spread his fame so far, that it reached the court of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, and occasioned many speculations there. And he (Herod) was perplexed. Greek, , much perplexed, as the same word is rendered Luk 24:4; and by the Vulgate consternatum esse, to be in a consternation; and elsewhere, stupere, to be amazed, or dismayed. The word, says Grotius, signifies wonder and astonishment; or, according to Doddridge, such a mixture of doubt and fear, as necessarily throws the mind into a very uneasy situation. The sense here seems to be, that the fame of our Lords miracles, and the diversity of opinions concerning him, so astonished Herod that he knew not what to think or believe concerning him. Because it was said of some And soon after by Herod himself; that John was risen from the dead He thought he had got clear of John, and should never be more troubled with him; but he now begins to fear he was mistaken, and that either John was come to life again, or that another had arisen in his power and spirit. And of some (it was said) that Elias had appeared They say appeared, because, as he did not die, he could not rise again: and of others, that one of the old prophets Who had been persecuted and slain long since; was risen again To be recompensed for his sufferings by this honour put upon him. It is probable that this conversation at the court of Galilee, concerning Jesus, and Herods perplexity thereupon, happened soon after the Baptists death. The murder of him, it seems, was recent. Hence the stings of conscience which that crime occasioned to Herod were bitter; and the rather, that he had committed it in an unguarded hour, contrary to the dictates of his own mind. Hence, in the confusion of his thoughts, he followed the multitude, though a Sadducee, in fancying that John was risen from the dead, and dreaded the punishment of his crime. It may seem strange that any person should have ascribed Christs miracles to John risen from the dead, who during his life-time performed no miracle, Joh 5:41. Perhaps they imagined the power of working miracles was conferred on the Baptist to prove both his resurrection and his innocence; to clothe him with greater authority than formerly; and to render his person inviolable for the future. Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this? Is he carrying on Johns work, or is he come to avenge Johns death? John baptized, but he does not; John wrought no miracle, but he works many; and therefore appears more formidable than John. Observe, reader, those who oppose God will find themselves more and more embarrassed. And he desired to see him Whether he resembled John or not; and if he found it was John, perhaps expecting to effect a reconciliation with him. He might soon have got his doubts resolved, if he would have informed himself, as he easily might, of what thousands knew, that Jesus preached and wrought miracles a great while before John was beheaded, and therefore could not be John risen from the dead. He desired to see him And why did he not go and see him, or send for him? Probably because he thought it below him to do either the one or the other. He had had enough of John, and cared not for having to do with any more such reprovers of sin. He desired to see him; but we do not find that he ever did till he saw him at his bar, and then he and his men of war set him at naught, Luk 23:11. Had he prosecuted his convictions now, and gone to see him, who knows but a happy change might have been wrought in him; but delaying it now, his heart was hardened; and when he did see him, he was as much prejudiced against him as any other. Henry.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4 th. Luk 9:7-9. The Fears of Herod.
This passage in Matthew (ch. 14) is separated by several chapters from the preceding narrative; but it is connected with it both chronologically and morally by Luke and Mark (Mar 6:14 et seq.). It was, in fact, the stir created by this mission of the Twelve which brought the fame of Jesus to Herod’s ears (for His name was spread abroad, Mar 6:14).
The idea of this prince, which Luke mentions, that Jesus might be John risen from the dead, is the only indication which is to be found in this evangelist of the murder of the forerunner. But for the existence of this short passage in Luke, it would have been laid down as a critical axiom, that Luke was ignorant of the murder of John the Baptist! The saying, Elias or one of the old prophets, meant a great dealnothing less, in the language of that time, than the Messiah is at hand (Mat 16:14; Joh 1:21 et seq.).
In Matthew and Mark, the supposition that Jesus is none other than the forerunner risen from the dead proceeds from Herod himself. In Luke this apprehension is suggested to him by popular rumour, which is certainly more natural. The repetition of , I, is, as Meyer says, the echo of an alarmed conscience.
The remarkable detail, which Luke alone has preserved, that Herod sought to have a private interview with Jesus, indicates an original source of information closely connected with this king. Perhaps it reached Luke, or the author of the document of which he availed himself, by means of some one of those persons whom Luke describes so exactly, vi Luk 2:3 and Act 13:1, and who belonged to Herod’s household.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
LXII.
HEROD ANTIPAS SUPPOSES JESUS TO BE JOHN.
aMATT. XIV. 1-12; bMARK VI. 14-29; cLUKE IX. 7-9.
b14 And c7 Now a1 At that season bKing Herod [Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. See Mat 10:41), but there was a prevalent idea among the ancients that departed spirits were endowed with superhuman powers, and Herod therefore supposed that the risen John had brought these powers with him from the spirit world.] cAnd he sought to see him. [Jesus purposely kept out of the reach of Herod, knowing the treacherous cunning of his nature ( Luk 13:32), and Herod’s curiosity was not gratified until the day of Christ’s crucifixion ( Luk 23:8-12), and then its gratification was without sanctification.] b15 But others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is a prophet, even as one of the prophets. 16 But Herod, when he heard thereof, said, John, whom I beheaded, he is risen. [Some thought that Elijah might have returned, as the Scripture declared, or that Jesus might be a prophet just like the great prophets of old. Matthew, by introducing what follows with the word “for,” gives us the reason why Herod clung to this singular opinion of Jesus. He did so because this opinion was begotten in the morbid musings of a conscience stained with the blood of John.] 17 For Herod himself had sent forth [370] and laid hold upon John, aand bound him, and put him in prison the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. bfor he had married her. [Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, who was the half-brother of Herod Philip I. and Herod Antipas, and these two last were in turn half-brothers to each other. Herodias, therefore, had married her uncle Herod Philip I, who was disinherited by Herod the Great, and who lived as a private citizen in Rome. When Herod Antipas went to Rome about the affairs of his tetrarchy, he became the guest of his brother Herod Philip I., and repaid the hospitality which he received by carrying off the wife of his host.] 18 For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. [The marriage was unlawful of three reasons: 1. The husband of Herodias was still living; 2. The lawful wife of Antipas (the daughter of Aretas, king or emir of Arabia) was still living; 3. Antipas and Herodias, being nephew and niece, were related to each other within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity.] 19 And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; but she could not: 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed, and he heard him gladly. a5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. [Herod feared both John and his influence. His fear of the man as a prophet caused him to shelter John against any attempts which his angry wife might make to put him to death, and led him to listen to John with enough respect to become perplexed as to whether it were better to continue in his course or repent. At other times, when the influence of Herodias moved him most strongly, and he forgot his personal fear of John, he was yet restrained by fear of John’s influence over the people.] 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, b21 And when a convenient day was come [A day suited to the purposes of Herodias. The phrase refers to Mar 6:19], that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the high captains, and [371] the chief men of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself [the language seems to indicate that others had first come in and danced] came in and danced, ain the midst, bshe pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him [This dancer was Salome, daughter of Herod Philip and niece of Herod Antipas. The dancing of the East was then, as now, voluptuous and indecent, and nothing but utter shamelessness or inveterate malice could have induced a princess to thus make a public show of herself at such a carousal]; a7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. band the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. [The rashness of the king’s promise is characteristic of the folly of sin. Riches, honors, kingdoms, souls are given for a bauble in the devil’s market.] 24 And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? [She may have known beforehand what to ask. If so, she retired and asked her mother that the brunt of the king’s displeasure might fall upon her mother.] And she said, The head of John the Baptist. a8 And she, being put forward by her mother, bcame in straightway with haste unto the king [she wished to make her request known before the king had time to put limitations upon her asking], and asked, saying, {asaith} bI will that thou forthwith give me ahere on a platter the head of John the Baptist. [She asked for the prophet’s head that she and her mother might have the witness of their own eyes to the fact that he was dead, and that they might not be deceived about it.] 9 And the king was grieved; bwas exceeding sorry [because the deed went against his conscience and his sense of policy as above stated]; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that {awhich} sat at meat, bhe would not reject her. ahe commanded it to be given [The oath alone would not have constrained Herod to grant Salome’s request, for if left alone [372] he would rightly have construed the request as not coming within the scope of the oath. The terms of his oath looked to and anticipated a pecuniary present, and not the commission of a crime. But Herod’s companions, being evil men, joined with the evil women against the man of God, and shamed Herod into an act which committed him forever to a course of guilt. Thus, a bad man’s impulses are constantly broken down by his evil companions]; b27 And straightway the king forth a soldier of his guard, aand beheaded John in the prison. band commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head {ahis head was brought} bon a platter, and gave it {aand given} bto the damsel: and the damsel abrought it bgave it to her mother. [To the anxious, unrestful soul of Herodias this seemed a great gift, since it assured her that the voice of her most dangerous enemy was now silent. But as Herod was soon filled with superstitious fears that John had risen in the person of Christ, her sense of security was very short-lived. The crime stamped Herod and Herodias with greater infamy than that for which John had rebuked them.] 29 And when his disciples heard thereof, they came and took up his {athe} corpse, band laid it in a tomb. aand buried him; and went and told Jesus. [Herod had feared that the death of John would bring about a popular uprising, and his fears were not mistaken. As soon as they had decently buried the body of the great preacher, John’s disciples go to Jesus, expecting to find in him a leader to redress the Baptist’s wrongs. They knew the friendship of John for Jesus, and, knowing that the latter intended to set up a kingdom, they believed that this would involve the overthrow of Herod’s power. They were ready now to revolt and make Jesus a king. See Mat 12:13, Joh 6:1, Joh 6:2, Joh 6:15. But Jesus would not aid them to seek the bitter fruits of revenge, nor did he intend to set up such a kingdom as they imagined.]
[FFG 369-373]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Luk 9:7-9. Herod Antipas and Jesus (Mar 6:14-16*, Mat 14:1 f.*).Herod does not here suppose that John has risen. With the last clause of Luk 9:9; cf. Luk 13:31. Lk. omits the long story of the death of cf. Joh 3:18-20.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Verse 7
It was said of some; by some. According to Matthew and Mark, it was Herod himself who said that John the Baptist had risen. (Matthew 14:1,2; Mark 6:14.) The influence of inspiration did not produce minute uniformity in the accounts of the sacred writers. Like those of other human witnesses, their statements often vary in the details.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
9:7 {2} Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he {b} was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
(2) As soon as the world hears tidings of the gospel it is divided into differing opinions, and the tyrants especially are afraid.
(b) He stuck as it were fast in the mire.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. Herod’s question about Jesus’ identity 9:7-9 (cf. Matthew 14:1-3; Mark 6:14-16)
The crucial issue in the preaching of Jesus and the Twelve during their mission in Galilee was the identity of Jesus. Luke showed the centrality of this issue by placing the present pericope in the center of his account of the Twelve’s mission. It highlights the controversy over Jesus’ identity. Herod Antipas voiced the crucial question in Luk 9:9. This section also prepares the way for Peter’s confession (Luk 9:18-20) and Jesus’ instruction of His disciples on this subject that followed. Moreover it introduces Jesus’ contacts with Herod that Luke developed later (Luk 13:31-32; Luk 23:6-12).
Evidently everyone in Galilee was talking about Jesus including the highest government official. However people were concluding different things about Jesus’ identity, which Luke recorded. Mark wrote that Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead (Mar 6:16). However, Luke said that he questioned who Jesus might be (Luk 9:9). The solution may be that Herod deliberated first and then decided that Jesus was John. By including Herod’s question in his narrative Luke implied that the answers people were giving to Herod’s question were inadequate. Herod appears unable to make up his mind, as were many others.
Only Luke included that Herod kept trying to get to know Jesus (Luk 9:9). As later incidents revealed, curiosity and animosity motivated him rather than faith.