His Holiness Pope Shenouda explains the verse:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32).
He clarifies that this does not mean the divine Son is ignorant, but that it refers to his human nature or the divine economy of revelation.

1. The Son knows that hour

The Son knows because He is “the hypostasis of knowledge” and “the rational mind of God.”
If the Mind of God does not know, who then knows?
Scripture says “in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3),
and He is the Judge who will come in that day, so He must know the day of His coming.

2. Unity of knowledge between Father and Son

Christ said: “I am in the Father and the Father in Me,” and “I and the Father are one.”
Since He has all that the Father has, He shares the same knowledge.
The Son is “the wisdom and power of God” (1 Cor. 1:24),
so as the Father’s wisdom, He Himself determined the day and hour.

3. Speaking according to the human nature

The Fathers—Athanasius, Gregory, Basil—affirmed that “nor the Son” is said with respect to the human nature,
for as man, Christ could be said to hunger, tire, or not know,
but as God He knows all things.
Divinity does not grow or learn; humanity grows in wisdom and grace, as Scripture says about the child Jesus.

4. The pedagogical manner of revelation

God sometimes speaks “as if He did not know” to teach or test man, as when He said to Adam, “Where are you?”
or regarding Sodom: “I will go down and see.”
Likewise, Christ asked, “Where have you laid him?” concerning Lazarus, though He knew.
Such expressions are instructive, not literal ignorance.

5. The meaning of “I do not know”

When Christ said to sinners, “I do not know you,”
it does not mean ignorance but rejection — “you are unworthy of My knowledge.”
So “does not know” may mean “does not acknowledge” or “does not reveal.”

6. The union of the two natures

Christ’s human nature retained its properties after uniting with the divine.
Thus, the human nature could have natural ignorance,
but it was illuminated by divine knowledge.
Christ knows everything as God,
yet as man, He could speak according to human limitation or divine discretion.

7. Summary of the teaching

Christ knows the day and hour,
but it was not within His earthly mission to reveal it, for it is “in the Father’s authority alone.”
Hence, “nor the Son” does not mean ignorance, but that He did not disclose it in His incarnate ministry.

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