Was He There?

There were also quite a few women watching from a 

distance - women who had followed Jesus from Galilee

in order to serve Him.  Among them were Mary Magdalene,

Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the

mother of the Zebedee brothers (James and John).

Matthew 27:55-56

We have no record of where Peter went in those early, dark hours of that Friday morning so long ago.  He was alone, in tears, and fully conscious of the pain he had just inflicted on his Master.  After he departed the courtyard, Jesus was condemned by the religious leaders and taken to Pilate for him to finish the job.  John was the only remaining disciple in the courtyard, the other disciples having disappeared from the garden.  I've never given much thought to the question:  Were the disciples, and specifically Peter, at Pilate's judgment hall or at the site of the crucifixion?  This is what I discovered:

• Matthew does not mention any disciples or other followers at Pilate's palace.  At the crucifixion, he mentions women observers: Mary Magdalene, James and John's mother, and another Mary, mother of James and Joses.
• Mark makes no mention of Jesus' followers being at the judgment hall.  At the crucifixion, Mark also states that women were there, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome.  He also states, ""Many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem were also there."  Note:  Not one mention of the disciples.
• Luke does not include any disciples in the crowds at Pilate's hall.  In verses 48-49 of chapter 23, Luke makes the following observation about the crucifixion:  When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.  But all those who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things."  This cryptic statement is the first clue that Jesus disciples were actually at the scene.
• John also makes no mention of any of Christ's followers at His trial.  At the crucifixion, however, he lists Mary Magdalene, Jesus' mother Mary and her sister, and Mary, the wife of Clopas [19:25].  Then John states that he himself was also standing by the women, and relates that Jesus gave His mother into John's care [19:26-27].  This is the only direct mention in the Gospels of any of the disciples being at the crucifixion site.

We know that John remained in the courtyard of the High Priest, and that he was at the cross on Golgotha's hill.  It is reasonable, I think, to assume that he was there the entire time, following Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate to the cross.  But what about Peter?  In Peter's speech to the Jewish people in the Temple following Jesus' resurrection, he gave brief details regarding what happened at Pilate's hall, and knew that Pilate had decided to let Jesus go [Acts 3:13-15].  He called himself and the disciples "witnesses" of Christ's death and resurrection.

Was he there?  I don't know how he could have stayed away.  Even wracked with guilt, shame, and remorse, he was still strong, impetuous Peter, and I believe he would have wanted to see this through to the end.  His anguish and fear drove him to deny his affiliation with his Lord and Savior, but his heart never stopped loving Him.