Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Hour of His Return?

"Contradictions" in the Bible Apologetics Posts

Some argue that the Bible is contradictory because if Jesus is God, then he would be omniscient. However, Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:30-32 say that Jesus did not know the hour of his return, which means he was not omniscient. However, there is a very simple answer to this alleged contradiction in the Bible.

Scriptures – Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Hour of His Return?

Matthew 24:36

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

Mark 13:30-32

30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:30-32

The Answer – Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Hour of His Return?

Jesus Was Also Fully Human

When Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:30-32, he was both fully God and fully human. It is very reasonable to believe that, while Jesus lived on the earth, his omniscience was suppressed in such a way that his human nature truly did not know the hour of his return. This is supported by Hebrews 2:6-9, which says this:

6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? >7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:6-9

This passage says that Jesus was made “for a little while lower than the angels,” which suggests that “for a little while,” aspects of Jesus’ deity was suppressed in some way.