We know where John was beheaded. It was in Machaerus, a Herodian fort on the northeast shore of the Dead Sea. We are not told when John was beheaded, however. We discover the facts of John’s death because the gospel writers mention Herod’s fears as proof of Jesus’ growing fame. Herod Antipas suggests Jesus might be the resurrected John, which says something about his mental stability.

John’s death is not the major point of these verses. The growing fame of Jesus is the point the writers are making. By now, his reputation is nation-wide, at least among those who were the elite of Israel. It extended beyond the shore of the Sea of Tiberius. The political and religious leaders were well aware of the growing threat the popularity of Jesus was to their power.

A casual reading might imply that this was the first time Jesus and the twelve had known of John’s death, but we don’t know how long they had known.