Jesus' unique authority on earth to forgive sins sets him apart from other people, a claim that disturbed the teachers of the law (v. 3), who wrongly supposed that speaking for God was their own role. Others might pronounce sins forgiven once clear atonement was made, but no atonement was made here (compare E. Sanders 1990:62-63). Thus the theologians decided that Jesus was blaspheming, which in the general sense simply meant "reviling" (in this case, God). Before Jesus is done, however, he will announce that God delegated to him the authority to forgive sins in general (v. 6; compare Dan 7:13)!