Expert: Dean Gade - 3/31/2010

Question
where were the disciples at the crucifiction and why were they not there.....thx jon

Answer
Because they felt very vulnerable and even somewhat deceived that the Messiah would allow Himself to be captured and sentenced to death, they were very fearful of the enemies of Jesus and so they stayed out of the action.    

Peter had sworn to other people that he was not in any way connected to Jesus.  John was close enough to have Jesus give him a son, mother relationship with His mother, Mary.

Matt 26:67-27:1
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?"
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.
70 But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."
74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
NIV

John 19:25-27
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"  27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
NIV

We don't read of anything about the other remaining apostles until after Jesus was resurrected from His death.