And when he established their denial of the Hereafter, he turned to affirm his saying. He clarified that they did not limit themselves to the denial of what is possible and beloved, but they also included mockery of one who, in reality, cannot be a subject of ridicule at all. 'And when they see you' means, despite what they know of the truthfulness of your words and the nobility of your actions, if you do not bring them a miracle, how could it be, when you have brought them what astonishes the minds? 'Indeed, they take you only as a joke' expressed in the form of a noun, indicating their exaggeration in mockery, with a severity after him, blessings and peace be upon him, from that. They say, belittling: 'Is this' and they mock along with their denial in their saying, 'the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger,' meaning the one who possesses the attributes of greatness. Their framing of the words in the context of submission and acknowledgment—while they are in the utmost denial—is the peak of mockery. Thus, their intended meaning is that this claim of his of being a Messenger is something that cannot be believed.