And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”
A crowd fills the road at Jericho, and the people have just told a shouting blind beggar to keep quiet. Then the Lord stops, gives one order, and those same people become the messengers who tell the man to take heart.
The Cry That Stopped Him
The Lord was walking toward Jerusalem and the cross. One voice from the roadside stopped Him, or as older translations put it, He "stood still":
W. T. P. WolstonThat voice of need falls on the Saviour's ear, and touches His heart, and Scripture says, "Jesus stood still." He was on His way to Jerusalem to do the wonderful work of the cross, but the cry of need stopped Him. He is now in heaven, in glory, but the voice of need touches Him now, just as the voice of misery and need touched Him then.
Nothing drowned out that appeal:
C. E. StuartA passing crowd makes plenty of noise. The tramp of feet and the talking could easily drown out the voice of a beggar by the road. But the Lord heard it. No noise, however great or distracting, keeps a plea for mercy from reaching His ear. "He stood still." All progress stopped, and the Lord said, "Call him."
"Call Him" — A Royal Summons
The Lord does not go to the man; He sends for him. Notice who stops, and who is called in:
William J HockingConsider this marvel of mercy! The ark of God with its golden mercy-seat is passing the walls of Jericho, and it stands still. The son of Timaeus is called into the presence of Him who is the lowly Son of Man and yet the Lord of all the earth. He is invited to bring his plea for mercy to the very feet of David's Son and David's Lord.
"Take Heart" — A Word Passed On
The words "Take heart" are the Lord's own, used again and again in the Gospels. What makes this time unique is who says them:
G C WillisWe find it next in Mark 10:49, spoken to the blind beggar Bartimaeus. He cried to the Lord for mercy, and Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. They call the blind man and say to him: "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." This is the only time in the New Testament when this word is not spoken by the Lord Himself. Here it is used to direct a needy one to Him.
The Crowd's Change of Tone
The people who scolded him now cheer him on, and the switch happens the instant the Lord speaks:
C. E. StuartHis cry, which the crowd had tried to stop, had reached the ears of the Lord. At once the tone of the crowd changed from rebuke to encouragement — the crowd changes so easily: "Take heart," they now cry. "Get up; He is calling you."
Faith That Pushes Past the Hindrance
The crowd's rebuke was nothing unusual. One writer treats it as the normal experience of anyone seeking Christ:
Hamilton SmithAs ever, when a soul is seeking Jesus there will be hindrances to overcome. Many would have the blind man hold his peace, and not have the Lord disturbed by a beggar. But faith rose above every hindrance and cried out all the more. And the Lord in His grace "stood still" and commanded him to be called.
The Same Call Today
One writer turns the call on the reader, as still open to anyone who feels his need:
William KellyMy reader, call on the Lord, like the once blind Bartimaeus. Until now you have been blind, and have followed blind leaders into the ditch. But Jesus still waits to heal and rescue you. Do not be afraid. Take heart, if you now feel your need, and believe that all authority and power are His. Does He not call you as truly as He did the son of Timaeus?
Summary
- Cry — a beggar's appeal for mercy cut through the noise of a whole moving crowd and reached the Lord's ear.
- Stop — on His way to the cross, He stood still; the voice of need still touches Him now that He is in glory.
- Call — He did not walk over. He sent for the man: a beggar called in to David's Son and David's Lord.
- Courage — "Take heart" is the Lord's own word. This is the one place in the New Testament where others pass it on to point a needy person to Him.
- Change — the crowd that silenced him now urges him on. Faith that keeps crying past every hindrance is the faith grace stops for.