For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
Mark 6:17 [KJV]

Herod, feeling remorse, gave the clearest answer. Upon hearing his news about Jesus, Herod was convinced that John, whom he had beheaded, had risen from the dead. Readers are given an account of what happened to John. 6:14 (“And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread

abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.”) know that he is dead. But here we know that John was beheaded and died. By recording Herod's words, "I have beheaded him," Mark insinuates that

Herod committed a great sin in ordering him to be beheaded. The “I” is also emphasized here. Herod is now holding himself responsible for John's terrible death. Some readers of Mark may still be wondering how that could have happened. In the passage that follows, Mark recounts

the situation backward and details it. The fact that Herod identified Jesus as a continuation of John the Baptist implies the possibility that he would persecute Jesus as if he had killed John the Baptist.