Why Does Jesus Say He Doesn't Know the Day or the Hour? Understanding Christ's Humanity

Why Jesus Says He Doesn't Know in Matthew 24:36

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." – Matthew 24:36

This single verse has sparked centuries of theological discussion and, unfortunately, has been twisted by those seeking to undermine Christ's deity. When Jesus declares he doesn't know the day or hour of his return, how should we understand this? Does this statement diminish his divinity?

The Foundation: Jesus Is Both Fully God and Fully Man

Before we can properly understand Matthew 24:36, we must establish what Scripture consistently teaches about Jesus Christ: He is simultaneously and completely both divine and human. This isn't a theological puzzle to solve—it's the glorious mystery at the heart of our faith.

The Gospel of John opens with the thunderous declaration: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). John leaves no room for doubt—Jesus is God. Paul echoes this in Colossians 2:9: "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." The Son possesses the complete nature of God.

Yet Scripture is equally clear about Christ's humanity. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Hebrews 2:14 reminds us that "since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity." Paul writes that Christ came "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3), and took on "the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7).

The Interpretive Key: Different Perspectives on the Same Christ

Understanding how Scripture speaks about Jesus requires what the early church fathers called a "rule of interpretation." Sometimes the Bible speaks of Christ according to his divine nature, emphasizing his equality with the Father. Other times, Scripture speaks of Christ according to his human nature, showing his submission to the Father.

Jesus himself demonstrates this dual perspective. In John 10:30, he boldly proclaims: "I and the Father are one." This is a statement of divine equality. Yet in John 14:28, he says: "The Father is greater than I." Is this a contradiction? Not at all. He's speaking from different aspects of his person.

As Augustine beautifully explained: "The Father is greater than the form of the servant, whereas the Son is his equal in the form of God." Christ is less than the Father in his humanity but equal to the Father in his divinity. Paul's theology in Philippians 2:6-8 follows this exact pattern.

Reading Matthew 24:36 in Context: Why Does Jesus Say He Doesn't Know the Day or the Hour?

Historical context matters. In the 4th century, Arian heretics seized upon Matthew 24:36 to argue that Jesus couldn't be truly God because he lacked knowledge the Father possessed. Hilary of Poitiers (AD 310-367) responded by insisting we must read this verse within the full context of Scripture, not in isolation.

What does the broader biblical narrative tell us?

Just chapters earlier in Matthew 22:41-46, Jesus affirmed his divine nature. Mark's parallel account (Mark 13:32) similarly places this statement after Jesus' assertion of deity in Mark 12:35-37. Mark's Gospel consistently portrays Jesus as the Lord God entering his temple (Mark 11:15-19).

The witness of Scripture is unanimous: As God, Jesus knows everything (John 21:17; Psalm 44:21). The Son and Father together are the one God of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 10:30). From Christ's fullness, we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:16).

So the question becomes sharper: If Jesus is truly divine and knows all things, how can he genuinely say he doesn't know the day and hour?

The Purpose of Christ's Genuine Humanity

Gregory Nazianzus provided the crucial insight: "What is not assumed is not healed." For Christ to be our Savior, he had to take on complete humanity—not just a human body, but a human soul, human mind, and human experience.

This is why Jesus had to experience human limitations, including limited knowledge. His humanity wasn't a disguise or a temporary costume. It was—and remains—authentic.

Consider what Hebrews teaches about our High Priest:

• "He had to be made like his brothers in every way" (Hebrews 2:17)

• "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15)

• "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears" (Hebrews 5:7)

Jesus experienced genuine human anxiety and uncertainty. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he cried out: "I am deeply grieved to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). This wasn't divine theater—it was authentic human anguish.

John Calvin explained it this way: Jesus couldn't have experienced true grief and anxiety if he possessed complete knowledge of the future in his human consciousness. The uncertainty we face is part of what makes trials difficult. For Christ to be "tempted in every way, just as we are" (Hebrews 4:15), he needed to experience the human condition of not knowing what tomorrow holds.

Christ's Ignorance Served His Mission as Mediator

First Timothy 2:5 gives us the key: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Notice—our mediator is "the man Christ Jesus."

During his earthly ministry, in what theologians call his "state of humiliation," Jesus functioned as the perfect human mediator between God and humanity. Part of this role required him to truly live within human limitations.

Calvin suggests that after the resurrection, when Jesus declared "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18), he received in his human nature what he had temporarily set aside during his earthly ministry. The glorified Christ now knows what the incarnate Christ chose not to access.

Think of it this way: Christ's divine nature didn't cease being omniscient, but in his earthly ministry, he chose to live fully within the boundaries of human experience. His divine nature, as Calvin put it, was "in a state of repose" while his human nature functioned according to its own properties in fulfilling his mediatorial work.

Why This Matters for Us

This isn't just abstract theology—it's deeply pastoral and practical.

First, Jesus' ignorance in Matthew 24:36 demonstrates the completeness of his identification with us. He knows what it's like to face tomorrow without knowing what it holds. When we're anxious about the future, our High Priest can sympathize because he's been there.

Second, this passage reminds us that Christ intentionally removed our anxiety about end-times speculation. As Hilary noted, "The Lord removed the weight of our anxiety by saying that no one knows that day." Even Jesus, in his earthly ministry, didn't focus on date-setting. He focused on faithfulness, watching, and readiness. That's our calling too.

Third, Jesus reinforced this teaching after his resurrection: "It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). Our task isn't to figure out timetables—it's to be faithful witnesses.

Fourth, this passage protects the doctrine of Christ's full humanity, which is essential to our salvation. If Christ wasn't truly human in every way (except sin), then his life, death, and resurrection wouldn't accomplish our redemption. As Peter writes: "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He did not commit sin" (1 Peter 2:21-22).

Avoiding the Heretical Trap

The Arians made the mistake of reading Matthew 24:36 in isolation, as if this single verse could overturn the Bible's consistent testimony about Christ's deity. They read Scripture selectively rather than comprehensively.

Orthodox Christianity reads Scripture as a unified witness. Yes, Matthew 24:36 reveals something about Jesus—but so does Matthew 22:41-46, John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, and hundreds of other texts. We don't pit one verse against another. We read them together, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture.

The whole counsel of God teaches that Christ is eternally God and that in time he took on complete humanity. Both truths stand. One passage that emphasizes his humanity doesn't negate passages that affirm his deity.

As the writer of Hebrews declares: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Christ didn't stop being fully God when he spoke the words of Matthew 24:36. His two natures—divine and human—were united in one person, with each nature retaining its own properties.

The Glory of the Mystery

Though He is God, He is manifested in flesh. The great mystery.

Paul calls this "the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). It is mysterious—wonderfully, gloriously mysterious—that the eternal God became human.

But this mystery is the foundation of our salvation. Because Jesus is fully God, his sacrifice has infinite worth. Because Jesus is fully human, he can represent us and sympathize with us. Because he is both, he can be the perfect mediator, the bridge between God and humanity.

When Jesus said he didn't know the day and hour, he wasn't contradicting his deity. He was demonstrating the fullness of his humanity—the humanity he assumed so that he could be our great High Priest, our perfect sacrifice, and our merciful Savior.

In Summary:

Matthew 24:36 doesn't weaken our faith in Christ's deity—it strengthens our confidence in his perfect humanity. Our Savior isn't a distant God who only pretended to be human. He's the God-Man who truly lived as we live, was tempted as we're tempted, experienced what we experience, yet without sin.

This is why we can approach his throne of grace with confidence, knowing we have a High Priest who truly understands (Hebrews 4:16). He's been where we are. He knows what it's like to be human.

That's not a limitation—it's the glory of the Incarnation.