What does John 9:36 mean?

Earlier, Jesus healed a man who had been born blind, but was not there when the man completed Jesus' instructions (John 9:6–7). All the newly-healed man knows is that someone—sent from God—has given him the sight he'd never had (John 9:1–2, 11). After being insulted and abused by local religious leaders, the man is found again by Jesus.

In the prior verse, Jesus asked this formerly-blind man if he believed in the Son of Man. This is a phrase heavily tied to the Jewish concept of the Messiah. The now-seeing beggar has admitted that he knows very little about Jesus (John 9:25), but he certainly believes that Jesus is operating on divine power (John 9:30–31).

Here, the man responds to Jesus' question with an admission of his own ignorance. This statement is similar to the cry of the father of a demon-possessed boy in Mark 9:24: "I believe; help my unbelief!" Here, the healed man wants to follow the truth, but simply does not know how. This is a strong contrast to the hard-headed scribes and Pharisees (John 5:39–40), who know more than enough about the Scriptures, but "refuse" to follow them by accepting Christ.

As promised (Matthew 7:7), Jesus will respond to sincere seeking, and give this man the wisdom he needs.