The Divine Trinity in Mark 13

In this post, I will show that the immediate and overall contexts of Mark 13 point to Jesus being the unique divine Son of God who is distinct from, and superior to, all creation. I will also use this chapter to prove the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

I start with the passage that is often used to deny the Deity of Christ:

“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Mark 13:32

Our Lord’s words are often interpreted to mean that he is not God or coequal with the Father.

However, a careful examination of this passage proves the opposite, since Jesus is actually separating himself from all creatures and placing himself within the same category of being as the Father.

That is because there is a clear order of ascendancy where we go from man on earth (“no one”), to the angels in heaven, to the Son, and then the Father.

The scriptures break down the category of creation into humans and angels:

“For, I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.” 1 Corinthians 4:9

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to the gospel we have proclaimed to you, let him be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is proclaiming to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed!” Galatians 1:8-9

To, therefore, speak of men and angels is to speak of all creation.  

Hence, instead of placing himself within the category of created beings, whether among humans or the angels, Christ puts himself above all of them and on the same side as the Father.

Christ even refers to himself as the Son, a title he does not ascribe to either men or angels in this verse. This again reinforces the fact of his deliberately placing himself with the Father in a manner that is different from the way humans and angels relate to God.

So, in a bit of irony, Jesus’ words actually prove that he is no mere creature, but is the unique divine Son who belongs within the same category or mode of existence as God his Father.

This is brought out more clearly from the rest of the chapter:

“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” Mark 13:26-27

Jesus, as the Son of Man, has command over the angels who are sent out to gather his elect.

Remarkably, the elect ones are said to belong to the Lord who chose them, who is the God that made the creation:

“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. And unless the Lord (Kyrios) had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.” Mark 13:19-20

Christ also refers to himself as the Lord of the house who will come at an unexpected time:

“Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the lord (ho Kyrios) of the house is coming—whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; lest, coming suddenly, he might find you sleeping. What I tell you, I tell all: Watch!” Mark 13:35-37 World English Bible (WEB)

Since Jesus has already identified himself as the Son of Man who is going to come, this means he is the Lord of the house as well as the Lord of the elect.

This isn’t the only place in Mark’s Gospel where Christ is said to come with the angels:

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’

“And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of HIS Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38

“And Jesus was saying to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power.’

“And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’ And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

“And as they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead. And they seized upon that statement, arguing with one another what rising from the dead meant. And they began asking Him, saying, ‘Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ And He said to them, ‘Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.” Mark 9:1-13

“From there they went out and were going through Galilee, and He was not wanting anyone to know about it. For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, ‘The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise again three days later.’ But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.” Mark 9:30-32

Christ claims to be the Son of Man who is the Father’s uniquely beloved Son that will come with the angels, but not before he is first killed and raised to life on the third day.

These statements only reinforce the fact of Jesus being the unique divine Son of God that became the Son of Man, and who is separate from and superior to all creation.

Now, as far as the Deity of the Holy Spirit is concerned, here’s what our Lord says in this respect:

“But see to yourselves; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be beaten in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. And when they lead you away, delivering you up, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:9-11

The Holy Spirit will be with all the believers throughout the world to enable them to say the right things, and to know what response to give in every situation and to every objection.

Our Lord makes this same promise in Matthew’s Gospel:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:16-20

For the Spirit to have this ability, he must be omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, and must therefore be God.

We, thus, have a rather clear witness to the Trinity both within Mark 13 and the broader context of Mark’s Gospel.

Further Reading

The Markan Jesus

Paul, Augustine & Jesus’ Knowledge of the Day & Hour

Athanasius on Jesus’ Knowledge of the Hour

ST. BASIL'S EXEGESIS OF MARK 13:32 & MATT. 24:36