We may well ask this question, yet the Gospels never explain it explicitly.
Several arguments can be put forward.
- Peter is naturally the spokesman of the group
From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, Peter regularly appears as the representative of the Twelve. It is he who speaks up at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16.16), at the Transfiguration (Mark 9.5), and again in the first chapters of Acts (Acts 1.15; Acts 2.14).
It is therefore logical that Mary Magdalene should seek first of all to inform Peter. Indeed, the angel himself had said:
“Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you into Galilee” (Mark 16.7).
The fact that Peter is mentioned first is therefore not surprising.
- John was probably with Peter
John refers to himself in his gospel as:
“the other disciple, whom Jesus loved” (John 20.2).
Since the Passion, Peter and John seem especially close. They are together at the trial before the high priest (John 18.15-16), together at the tomb (John 20.3-8), together after the resurrection (John 21.20-23), and again together at the beginning of Acts (Acts 3.1; Acts 8.14).
It is therefore possible that Mary found the two men in the same place.
- The other disciples were probably not all gathered together
After the arrest of Jesus, the disciples scatter:
“Then all the disciples left him and fled” (Matthew 26.56).
On the evening of the resurrection, they are finally gathered in a house (John 20.19), but nothing indicates that they were all together from dawn.
On the contrary, the climate of fear seems to have encouraged dispersion. Each one was probably trying to avoid being identified as a disciple of Jesus.
- Peter and John are the only ones to react immediately
Luke states:
“But Peter rose and ran to the tomb” (Luke 24.12).
John adds that he accompanied him (John 20.3-4).
It is possible that the other disciples simply regarded Mary's testimony as a rumor or a mistake. Later, Luke indeed specifies:
“But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe the women” (Luke 24.11).
Peter and John would therefore have been the only ones who wanted to verify the facts immediately.
- A theological reason is also possible
The evangelists are mainly interested in direct witnesses.
John tells what he personally saw. He can describe the grave clothes, the order in which they entered the tomb, and even his own reaction (John 20.5-8). It is therefore natural that he centers his account on Peter and himself.
Likewise, Luke seeks to show that Peter verified the facts for himself before the appearances of the Risen One (Luke 24.12).
An interesting hypothesis
If the disciples were hidden in the house of Mary, the mother of Mark—a hypothesis often proposed on the basis of (Acts 12.12)—it is possible that Mary Magdalene first met Peter and John in a separate room or near the entrance. The news would then have gradually reached the rest of the group.
Thus, the absence of the other disciples in the account is probably not due to their nonexistence, but to the fact that:
- Peter was the natural leader of the group;
- John was with him;
- the other disciples were scattered or hesitant;
- only Peter and John decided to verify Mary Magdalene's statements immediately.
This explanation fits fairly well with the atmosphere of fear, confusion, and unbelief that the Gospels describe on the morning of the resurrection (Luke 24.11; John 20.19).