A Mystery Even for Jesus

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32

In these words of our Savior, we encounter one of the most mind-bending phrases in all of Scripture: “nor the Son.”

Jesus had just been instructing his disciples about the signs of the end times (wars, natural disasters, persecution), so that they might be prepared. And then, as if anticipating their natural follow-up question—“When will you return to judge the world?”—Jesus says that only the Father has that knowledge. No person knows, no angel knows . . . “nor the Son.”

What a mystery! How can the Son, who is true God and whom the church confesses to be coequal with the Father, not know about the precise date and time of the world’s end?

Christian theologians over the centuries have devoted much time and attention to explaining this difficult passage. Though no short devotion can plumb the doctrinal depths contained in these words, we can give a basic summary: This statement of Jesus does not indicate that the Son is inferior to the Father. As Christ said to his disciples, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Rather, the second person of the Triune God, by taking on a human nature, did not always make full use of his divine attributes. Put another way, the incarnate Son of God chose to forego aspects of his power as God, including knowledge about the end of the world.

In this profound theological truth, there are two key lessons:

First, we can marvel at our Savior’s humility on our behalf. Though “in very nature God, [he] did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” (Philippians 2:6). The Son, though fully God, submitted to his Father’s will by taking on human flesh, by refraining from certain uses of his divine power and knowledge, and by suffering and dying for the sins of the world.

Second, when contemplating Christ’s return, we can focus on what is most important. If Jesus himself did not need to know the day or hour, neither do we. Instead, our Lord asks us to be prepared: by hearing God’s Word, by partaking in the Sacrament, and by living “holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God” (2 Peter 3:11-12).

Dearest Jesus, we praise you for the mystery of the incarnation through which you accomplished our salvation. Prepare us for your return through your means of grace. Amen.

Dr. Timothy Grundmeier serves Martin Luther College
as a professor of history.