Healing the Blind Man – Matthew 20: 29-34

Pastor Steve Watts’ sermon on Matthew 20:29–34 centers on the compassion of Jesus as the heart of the gospel and challenges believers to reflect on their own spiritual blindness. He begins by highlighting how, in our current culture, the gospel is often distorted—used for personal, political, or financial gain—losing its true core: God’s compassion. Using the story of the two blind men crying out to Jesus, Pastor Watts contrasts the crowd’s blindness with the physical blindness of the men. Although the crowd had witnessed Jesus’ miracles and was enthusiastic about his political potential, they failed to understand his mission of compassion. Ironically, it was the blind men who truly saw Jesus for who he was, calling him “Son of David,” a messianic title. Jesus, moved by compassion, stops to heal them—something a political figure likely wouldn’t do on such an important journey. Pastor Watts draws a powerful parallel between the blind men and a modern man named Michael May, who regained his sight after decades of blindness. May’s story illustrates that even when physical sight is restored, learning to see clearly takes time, patience, and curiosity. Similarly, the crowd—and we as modern believers—may not see Jesus clearly at first. We project our own expectations onto him, hoping he’ll be the savior we want rather than the one we need. But like May, we’re invited on a journey—a lifelong adventure of learning to see the world through the lens of Jesus’ compassion. Pastor Watts urges us to cry out, like the blind men, “Lord, have mercy on us,” and begin this transformative journey of spiritual sight.