Jesus finds the man after his expulsion and reveals himself as the one speaking with him. The man responds, 'Lord, I believe,' and worships Jesus.
The action completes a remarkable progression in which the man moves from knowing Jesus only as his healer to openly confessing him.
The Greek verb proskyneo can describe bowing, homage, or worship depending on context. In John's Gospel the vocabulary of worship has already been used prominently in the discussion of worshiping the Father in spirit and truth. John does not portray Jesus rebuking the man's act or redirecting it away from himself.
The scene follows Jesus' direct self-disclosure to a man who has just suffered social exclusion for defending him.
The cultural range of the word cautions against pretending that the verb by itself settles every Christological question. Yet within John's Gospel the scene is significant: belief in Jesus culminates in an act of proskyneo accepted by Jesus.
The formerly blind man now sees in both senses that organize the chapter—physically and in his recognition of Jesus.