By concluding in Matthew 9:3 that “This fellow is blaspheming,” the Pharisees were letting Jesus and the crowd attending him know that in their view, Jesus was presuming to know only what God can know. And Jesus affirmed the accuracy of their conclusion—only God can proclaim sins as having been forgiven. In simple terms, the Pharisees had concluded that Jesus was claiming to himself a prerogative and an authority that only the God of Israel possessed.
