Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 24:36

"But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." — Matthew 24:36 (ASV)

No, not the angels of heaven. St. Mark’s addition—neither the Son, or better, not even the Son—is remarkable in every way (Mark 13:32). Assuming the almost certain connection of that Gospel with St. Peter (see the Introduction to St. Mark), it is as if the Apostle who heard the discourse desired, for a special reason, to record the exact words of his Master.

That reason may be found in Peter's own teaching. The over-eager expectations of some, and the inevitable reaction of doubt and scorn in others, both rested on the assumption that the Son of Man had definitively fixed the time of His appearing. This led them to forget the “long-suffering” of God, which can extend a day into a thousand years (2 Peter 3:3–8). It does violence to the plain meaning of Christ's words to suggest that He merely chose not to communicate the knowledge He possessed as the Son of God.

If we are perplexed by the mystery of this confession from One in whom we recognize the presence of the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:9), we can find help to wait patiently for a full understanding. This help is found in St. Paul’s teaching that the eternal Word, in becoming flesh, emptied Himself (see the note on Philippians 2:7). He set aside the infinity belonging to the divine attributes and took upon Himself the limitations that accompany human nature—even a nature untainted by evil and in fullest fellowship with the Father through the Eternal Spirit.