What does John 9:33 mean?

When Jesus healed a man born blind, His religious critics responded in a predictable way. Jesus had already challenged them for willful ignorance (John 7:17) and for "refusing" to follow their own Scriptures to believe in Him (John 5:39–40). Here, these men have twice interrogated the healed man (John 9:13, 24), looking for any reason to dismiss Jesus' work. The formerly blind beggar responded with unexpected bravery and remarkably clear thinking. His overall point—delivered with heavy sarcasm—has been that Jesus' miracles themselves ought to be evidence enough that He's been sent by God.

Here, the healed man is clear and direct. This is almost identical to the conclusion Nicodemus brought to Jesus earlier in the gospel of John (John 3:1–2). This verse is the summary of the man's response to the insults of the scribes and Pharisees (John 9:28), who tried to reject Jesus as a "sinner" instead of accepting His miracles (John 9:16, 24–25).

At this point, the religious leaders of Jerusalem have been thoroughly embarrassed. They failed to debunk Jesus' miracle. They responded with a childish rant against a witness (John 9:28). Worst, they've been "taught" common sense spiritual truth by a man they consider beneath them (John 7:49).

What happens next (John 9:34) is exactly the reaction one would expect from spiritual hypocrites. Rather than countering the man's argument or challenging his facts, they resort once again to insults.