Chad Bird

One of the challenges we face as Christians is learning how to be citizens of both earth and heaven. We belong to the kingdom of God, yet we also live under earthly governments and within earthly societies.

There is an unavoidable tension in this dual citizenship. As Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), yet we are also called to love and serve our neighbors here and now.

This challenge is not new. It goes all the way back to the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 29, the prophet writes to the Israelites exiled in Babylon. We might expect him to say, “Keep your distance. Don’t get too attached.” But instead, he tells them to build houses, plant gardens, marry, raise families, and settle down in Babylon (Jer. 29:4-6).

Then comes this surprising command: “Seek the welfare [shalom] of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7).

In other words, God’s people were to be fully present in Babylon while remaining faithful to him. They were still Israelites, still worshipers of the true God, yet they were also to work for the good of the society in which they lived.

The same is true for us. We are called to serve our communities, love our neighbors, pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2), and contribute to the common good. Of course, there are times when we must “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). But most of the time, faithful Christian living means learning how to serve both God and neighbor within the places where he has planted us.

A Christian writing from the second century, called the Epistle to Diognetus, beautifully captures this tension:

“For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric way of life. This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious people, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. They live in their own countries, but only as nonresidents; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign” (Diognetus 5:1-5).

To explain how Jesus did not know the day or the hour of his return (Matt. 24:36), you will often hear some version of this answer:

“In Jewish tradition, after betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a bridal chamber for his bride. He would work on it until it was ready, but only the father could decide when the preparations were complete. Once the father approved, he would tell his son to go and fetch the bride. So that only the father knew the exact day and hour of the wedding.”

I have been unable to find a single ancient Jewish source that supports this popular explanation. None. It appears to be a modern Christian construction rather than a documented Jewish tradition.

If you have used this explanation, I'm sure it was meant sincerely. But please stop.

There is no need to turn to fabricated traditions (which always seem a bit too “neat and tidy,” don’t they?) to explain this verse when we have clear teachings in the Bible that explain it.

Though fully divine, Jesus did not always fully exercise the divine powers and knowledge that he possessed as the eternal Son, coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He could have turned stones into bread, but chose hunger. He could have wiped out his enemies, but chose to die for them. Luke tells us that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52).

Paul put it this way: Jesus “humbled himself” (Phil. 2:8). This refers to the time he spent on earth, during which he lived as we do. He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, and death. He “learned obedience” (Heb. 5:8). He willingly grew, learned, and lived within the limitations of human life.

This he did while remaining fully divine. “I and the Father are one,” Jesus says (John 10:30). John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Thomas says to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

In the incarnation, the Son did not cease to be omniscient, but he did choose not always to make full use of the divine knowledge that was his. That’s what he’s expressing in Matthew 24:36.
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We read Matthew 24 today in Bible in One Year: https://www.1517.org/oneyear