The apostles very often had to be brought to a clearer understanding of the OT scriptures and Jesus used a variety of different approaches with different people. The gospels give a variety of descriptions of our Lord’s responses. However at no time do the scriptures intimate that He was deceiving or lying for that would violate what and who He is,so the answer must lie somewhere else.
* when religious leaders asked Him on what authority He acted, Jesus responded with a question of His own (was John the Baptist’s Baptism of God or not?)
* when the samaritan woman at the well asked Him a question,He continued evangelizing her (John4:11-13) and did not loose His focus
* when the disciples asked when He was returning at His second coming,He answered that only the Father new the day and the time. Was He lying? Perish the thought! (Matt24:36). He knew the events that were to precede His coming, but, why find difficulty in trusting that voluntarily chose to know at that time only that which the Father willed? (Matt24:29-31). Furthermore v.34 talks about the generation that would see these things. v.21 tells us it is during the time of the great tribulation and v.15 tells us that the event that ushers in these calamities is the abomination of desolation, as spoken by Daniel the prophet (Dan 9:27 as seen in Rev13:13-15) that is to occur 42mo (Rev 11:2) or 1260days(Rev12:6) which is 3 1/2 y. prior to His coming. So the generation is that that will be alive at the time of the abomination of desolation. This event was prefigured in the past by the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV Ephiphanes at ~167BC, and this evil Seleucid king is a shadow of the one to come, Antichrist. So is not the generation of apostolic times.
*Jesus , right after He had restored St Peter in John 21, when asked by the apostle what was to be with St John (v21,22), swiftly told him that that was not of his concern, he was to follow Jesus.
*Luke ch 18:31-34 are even more interesting because, even as seen in other gospel accounts, He explains what is to befall Him and they do not understand. v34 says even that ‘the word remained hidden from them and they failed to comprehend…"(NAB); the KJV is more forceful still:“this saying was hid from them”. So there were times that it was not deemed of God that they should know but this is by His Providence but not by deceit or lies.
*Other times Jesus did not clarify because He knew what was in man and the motives are described.John ch 6,Jesus fed ~ 5K and went over the sea of Tiberias to Capernaum,the people followed Him. v15 says the crowed wanted to make Him King. v26 says they were doing it because He filled their stomachs and not because of His miracles. They wanted the power to do this miracle of multiplication of bread(v28 if He wasnot going to feed them, and when Jesus told them they were to have faith in the One that God had sent, they required a miracle as big as that of Moses providing the manna in the desert for them to believe. The rest is the bread of Life teachings. The crowd was thinking physical food and was stumped at drinking His blood and eating His flesh, both against the Mosaic Law. They left Him because they were not true followers of Jesus, just trying to see what they can get for themselves. Is it any wonder He did not clarify matters? Check verse 68, the response of a true disciple.
*the apostles believed on the coming of a Messiah but, just like the religious leaders, failed to see that Isaiah talks about Him as a Suffering Servant and a Royal King to follow in the lineage of David. They expected a Messiah that would throw off the shackels of Imperial Rome and reigh. Right after He gives St Peter the keys (Matt16:16-19) Jesus has to sharply rebuke him for doing Satans’ bidding by opposing His going to the Cross.Was Peter acting wickeldly? Heaven forbid! He was acting wrongly out of ignorance,as he expected a place in Jesus earthly kingdom. Peter just did not know.
*Matt 25:3-5 (or 1-13).This ch. together with Matt 24 is also eschatological and applicable to the nation Israel, and find their counterparts in Mk 13 and Lk 21. One thing appears evident and that is that with Matt ch 12, when the religious leaders reject the Kingdom (by rejecting Jesus the Messiah-King) our Lord beggins to speak in parables which He only explains to His disciples. From now on the Kingdom will be opened to gentiles too (as was God’s plan all along). As pointed out by Angelos, He implied that His return will not be soon. This parable exhorts watchfulness and readiness, and some believe that the virgins who had no oil (a symbol of the H.Spirit) are nonbelieving jews who will not be able to enter the Messianic Kingdom in contrast to the wise (believing) virgens.
Almost forgat that the reason for addressing this thread was to provide any evidence that may liven discussion on the impeccability of Christ and therefore the impossibility of deception when He intimated that He did not know, the day and hour of His second coming. And I may add ‘in His humanity’ , for in His divine nature He never ceased to be God, and therefore was always omniscient.
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"Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" John 6.
GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL!
