{He blasphemeth} (lasph(886d)ei). This is the unspoken charge
in their hearts which Jesus read like an open book. The correct
text here has this verb. They justify the charge with the
conviction that God alone has the power (dunatai) to forgive
sins. The word lasph(886d)e(935c) means injurious speech or slander. It
was, they held, blasphemy for Jesus to assume this divine
prerogative. Their logic was correct. The only flaw in it was the
possibility that Jesus held a peculiar relation to God which
justified his claim. So the two forces clash here as now on the
deity of Christ Jesus. Knowing full well that he had exercised
the prerogative of God in forgiving the man's sins he proceeds to
justify his claim by healing the man.