John 20:15-16 (see fuller context here)
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her,“Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Saul had a “God moment” on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). The rich young ruler had one when he asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). Isaiah experienced a major one in his vision (Isaiah 6:1-5). The soldiers had a different sort of “God moment” when the angel came from heaven and rolled away the stone as they were guarding the tomb (Matthew 28:1-4). In one way or another these encounters with the living God defined their lives for good or for ill. The difference has to do with their ultimate understanding of what God was doing in their lives and in the world.
Mary’s encounter with Jesus at the tomb on Easter morning is powerful in its simplicity and hints at the nature of fear, love, and hope. Mary’s love for Jesus is obvious: she is weeping because she still grieves Jesus’ death. She is fearful that those who treated Jesus so shamefully had managed to inflict further insult and injury by taking and possibly desecrating his body.
Through her tears she cannot tell who she is speaking to there at the tomb. But when Jesus speaks her name, all her worst fears, her deepest sadness, and dashed hopes begin to melt away. I get the sense that her response, “Teacher” was the question of believing disbelief, the encounter with the too-good-to-be-true presence of the living Jesus. Could it really be him? Is he really alive? Is all my worry, pain, grief, and sadness really able to be let go? May my tears really be turned to joy?
God’s promises to his people are so profound, so far-reaching, and so beyond our ability to conceive. There be a day when we will have every tear wiped away, a day when every knee will bow before the Lord of life who is the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins of the world. There will be a day when we will see Christ face-to-face, and he will call us by name and we will rejoice in beyond-all-our-dreams hope realized. We will delight to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord!
David Bahn - Reflections 
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