Matthew 24:36

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels
in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (This verse is also repeated in Mark 13:32).

First, please get out a dictionary and look up the definition of the word "know". In my dictionary it has 9 different meanings. So don't jump to conclusions about what it means here.

If we look at the Greek word translated as "knows" in this verse, we find the word is "oida". It's primary meaning is that of "belonging to". So in this case the English word "know" is used to give an understanding that something belongs, or does not belong.

Why did God come to earth in the way He did?

We know He came to save us through His death on the cross.

But if all Jesus did was to die for us, He didn't need to spend three years in ministry. The Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him from the beginning. He could have let them kill him the first time they tried--instead He always got away (for three years).

What did He do during those three years?

He taught. And we have have His teachings in the Bible.

But, he also served as an example for us to follow.

Could God have come to earth in all His glory--fully as God?

Yes, he could. He did this in Exodus 33:22--and when God did this He had to put Moses in a cleft of rock and shield him from His Glory. In our imperfect state we can not look at God as He is.

So God coming to earth fully as God, to teach us and die for us, would not have worked. We would have died. So if God is going to come to earth He needs to hold back some of who He is.

Another point: Jesus taught us that we are to be like him. We are to follow his example. If God came to earth with all His power -- the ability to know everyone's thoughts, the ability to instantly create anything, the knowledge of everything--would He be a good example for us to follow?

No. He would be someone we worshipped. He would be so great that He would be beyond our imagination as far as being a role model for us. So, if God is to be a role model we can follow, for his time on earth he needs to be more like us and thus not use all his powers and abilities.

One of the most important things God wanted to do is to show us how important it is for us to obey God. So when He was here, He showed us how to do that. He obeyed God.

At times we see Jesus use his divine powers--He (God the Father) decided that this is a situation in which He will use His divine abilities. He could control the weather, know what people were thinking, tell the future, raise the dead and more. Notice that it is always says that it is Jesus who does these things. It is always Jesus himself. For example, in Matthew 8:23-27 he stops a storm (controls the weather--that's something only God can do).

"And Jesus answered, 'Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!' Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm." - Matthew 8:26

The Bible says Jesus did it. He didn't need to pray. He didn't need any help. He stood up and he did it. That's God.

But at other times we see Jesus has the same characteristics as we do. He was hungry, weary, in need of sleep, experienced physical pain, and was "growning" in knowledge. At these times He chose to veil, hide or set aside some of His characteristics as God. This is someone we can relate to. Someone we can learn from. Someone we can follow as a role model.

In Matthew 24:36 God has set aside some of His knowledge. At that point in time He does not know when the day or time of his return will be. He did know it before he came to earth, and he knows it after he was crucified (Acts 1:6-7), but for the time he was on earth he set aside that knowledge.

Let's look at it from a different angle to get an understanding of the words Jesus uses. A question I had is, why does Jesus say this?

We can find out by going to another verse in which the same Greek word that is translated as "know" is used, Matthew 25:12. This verse is included in a parable that Jesus specifically gave to help us understand Matthew 24:36.

"But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you."

We can see here that what is meant is that "you are not one of my invited guests." In this parable the Lord knew who they were. What he is telling them is that the foolish do not belong. They are not part of the invited guests.

This is the same way the word "know" is used in verse 24:36. It does not mean not to have knowledge. It means that it is not right for angels or people to have this knowledge yet. Thus Jesus is not saying He does not have this knowledge, he is saying that he has set aside this knowledge temporarily because it is not appropriate that it be known. As we see, once he is on the other side of the cross, He no longer includes himself as someone who does not have this knowledge (Luke 1:6-7).

Remember, we also interpret Scripture using Scripture. Based on that, Matthew 24:36--in its context that includes the parable Jesus uses to explain what he is saying, carries the meaning of not belonging or not being appropriate.