Matthew 24:36

Matthew 24:36, in plain English

Here's something amazing: even Jesus says He doesn't know the exact day or hour of His return. Only God the Father knows. If Jesus doesn't know, then no human who claims to know the date is telling the truth.

Why it's here

This is both humbling and reassuring. No one can predict the exact timing, so don't worry when someone claims they've figured it out. Focus on being ready, not on calculating dates.

Who's speaking

Jesus speaks with remarkable honesty about what even He doesn't know, setting an example of humility.

Where it sits in the story

If Jesus Himself says He doesn't know the timing, that settles every date-setting debate forever. Stop trying to calculate and start focusing on being faithful.

The scholarly reading

Jesus declares that no one knows 'that day or hour' (peri tēs hēmeras ekeinēs kai hōras) — not the angels (angeloi), not even the Son (ho huios), but only the Father (ho patēr). This remarkable admission of the Son's limited knowledge in His incarnate state has profound Christological implications for the relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures.

Language and setting

This verse is central to discussions of kenosis — Christ's voluntary self-limitation in the incarnation (Phil 2:7). The Son's not-knowing is an expression of genuine humanity, not a deficiency of deity.

Voice

Jesus speaks with stunning transparency about the limits of His own knowledge, modeling the humility He has been teaching.

Significance

In a breathtaking display of humility, Jesus admits He doesn't know the day or hour of His own return. After claiming His words are eternal, He confesses the limits of His incarnate knowledge.

34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

36No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

37As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

Read all of Matthew 24 — The disciples ask when the end will come. Jesus answers with wars, earthquakes, and a warning: stay awake, because no one knows the hour.