Jesus is now in the presence of his Father and he is also present with us where we are. He is present as the absent One. He is absent because he is at the very centre of the heavenly sanctuary representing us before his Father. Nevertheless, he is still deeply involved with us by his Spirit.

Jesus promised his disciples that when he returned to his Father he would ask the Father and he would give another just like his Son, Jesus. The Father would send this one in Jesus name to be Jesus own presence in them. That’s why Paul speaks often about the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit is the one who comes from the Father in Jesus name as Jesus presence.

By the Spirit, Jesus is present to be all that he wants to be with us and for us. Indeed, he said that it is better that he has departed to be with his Father because now he can be with all of us more deeply than when he was with his friends in the flesh. All this shifts our attention from the past to the present. While make much of Jesus’ work for us in the past we also expect him to show up in our lives where we are right now.

Truly, we can now talk about both the presence and absence of Jesus without contradiction and with great meaning. Absent from us as he represents us in his Father’s Presence and present with us as both he and his Father make their home with us in the Spirit.