Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, why are you thinking these things? — the knowledge of unspoken thoughts is presented without explanation or elaboration in Mark. The immediacy (euthys) and the location of the knowledge in his spirit communicate direct divine perception rather than human inference. The question why are you thinking these things is not a denial of their logic but a challenge to test their logic against the evidence about to be provided. Jesus does not argue against the scribes' theological premise (only God forgives sins); he is about to prove the premise correct and claim to be its fulfillment.

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