Herod heard about all the things which were being done in the name of God by Jesus, and he kept trying to see him. Even as Jesus was busy ordering those who had been recipients of his mighty acts not to go telling people about him (cf. Luke 8:40-56), his fame continued to spread like wild fire. In our Gospel passage for today, we see Jesus’ fame reaching the ears of Herod the tetrarch, who as we read, was perplexed by the news he was receiving. His confusion was brought about by conflicting reports that surrounded Jesus’ identity. It appeared no one was certain about who Jesus was! Was Jesus Elijah? Was he one of the great prophets of old? Or was he John the Baptist? If Jesus was John the Baptist whom he (Herod) had killed, had he come back to life in order to haunt him? (In the Gospels according to Mark and Matthew, the question about the identity of Jesus by Herod is followed by the recounting of how John the Baptist had been killed by Herod). And if he was not John the Baptist, why were there so many similarities between the two men? It was not without reason, then, that Herod’s desire to see Jesus grew with each day that passed. 
It might as well have been out of sheer curiosity that Herod wanted to set his eyes on Jesus. Maybe he wanted to ascertain for himself if all the things that were being said about Jesus were true. He had encountered one who had been like Jesus before (John the Baptist), and the ending was not good. Perhaps he had not forgiven himself for executing John the Baptist and he saw an opportunity to repent. Whatever his reason was, it is clear that he wanted very much to see Jesus. 
Herod heard about Jesus, about all the mighty acts God was doing through him, and he was moved to want to see him. Like Herod, our experience of the mighty works of God should inflame in us a desire to seek to know God better. For when we encounter God, we are never left the same. Our encounter with God will always create a deep yearning in our inner selves, a yearning that can only be satisfied when we come to the knowledge of God and create a space for him in our lives. Unlike Herod, however, we will be able to say that the Lord whom we encountered was the God of Elijah, of John the Baptist, and of all the prophets who had walked with God. For our yearning for God will not be out of sheer curiosity or because we have heard conflicting stories about God. Rather, our desire for God will flow from our experiential knowledge of God.