And King Herod heard these things, for the name of Jesus had become known, and he said, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and for this reason mighty works are being done through him.”
The news of Christ’s works reached even the ears of rulers. Herod hears about Him, and his heart immediately connects that report with John the Baptist. This shows how a guilty conscience easily remembers its offense. He thought that John had risen, because the memory of sin had not been extinguished within him. Although he had political power, it is clear that he had no peace. When a person sins against the truth and does not repent, then later, new reports connected with the truth can shake his conscience. This verse reveals that a person’s true rest does not depend on power or position, but on being reconciled with God.