CAN CHRIST BE IGNORANT OF ANYTHING?

A Commentary on Mark 13:32

By Giuseppe Monno

Mark 13:32

“But as for that day or hour, no one knows it—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—but only the Father.”

It was not for the disciples to know these times, for they were reserved to the authority of God the Father (Acts 1:7). Yet Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30) and possesses perfect knowledge of all things (John 21:17), for in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Therefore, nothing is concealed from him, including the time of judgment.

Within the theological framework of the economy of salvation, the expression “not knowing,” when attributed to Jesus, should not be understood as real ignorance in his divine Person. Rather, it signifies a pedagogical form of non-revelation within the divine plan. It does not point to any ontological limitation in his divinity, but to a deliberate act serving the redemptive mission and the spiritual formation of humanity.

Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, knows all things in his divine nature. Yet he chooses to reveal the truth progressively, according to the capacity of his disciples to receive it. This is the economy of revelation: truth disclosed over time with wisdom and patience, guiding humanity toward faith, hope, and vigilance.

In this sense, Christ’s “not knowing” is an educative mode. It does not imply a lack of knowledge, but rather a refusal to impose knowledge upon others. Instead, he invites them to seek, to remain watchful, and to grow. His silence or reserve concerning certain truths should therefore be understood as pedagogical acts, not as signs of ignorance.

Saint Augustine, on this point, writes: “One may be said not to know what one has not wished to make known” (De Trinitate I, 12). Christ neither truly lacks knowledge nor speaks falsely, but adopts a manner of expression suited to the mystery. His silences (Mark 8:10–13; Luke 23:8–9), his counter-questions (Mark 11:27–33), his injunctions to silence those he healed or raised (Mark 1:44; 5:43), and his commands to the disciples (Mark 8:30; 9:9) and even to demons (Mark 1:25, 34) not to speak of him—all reveal a clear pedagogical intention. He reveals at the proper time, in harmony with the interior readiness of his listeners (John 16:12: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”)

Thus the wisdom of the saving economy of revelation is made manifest: the eternal Word leads humanity, step by step, toward the fullness of truth (John 16:13), not by compulsion, but by gently accompanying human freedom.

The words oude ho huios (“nor the Son”) are omitted for theological reasons in certain later Byzantine manuscripts and in some copies of the Vulgate. They are, however, attested in more authoritative witnesses, including Codex Vaticanus (B), Codex Sinaiticus (א), Papyrus 88, Codex Alexandrinus (A), Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C), Codex Washingtonianus (W), and Codex Bezae (D), dating from the fourth to the sixth centuries. We address these words here so that the followers of Arius and Eunomius may not suppose they have grounds to silence the orthodox position.