No, there is absolutely no evidence for this—and in fact the opposite is the case. Why should your friend believe a novel or magazine article written today, and yet reject the historical records of Jesus’ life that were written only a few years after His lifetime?

And those historical records (especially the four Gospels of the New Testament) all agree that Jesus was put to death by the Roman authorities while He was still in His 30s, and that His only family were His blood relatives (including His mother, Mary). Almost immediately afterward, His disciples publicly proclaimed that those authorities had “put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). Could they have preached this if it weren’t true? Of course not; the authorities immediately would have denied it. But they didn’t.

The historical record tells us something else about Jesus, however, that’s even more important: On the third day of His death He came back from the grave. By the power of God, death had been conquered! In a series of appearances Jesus showed that He was alive, and hundreds were witnesses of it. Forty days later, He ascended into heaven, and someday He will return in glory.

In almost every generation, Satan tries some new scheme to convince people not to believe in Jesus. Don’t be deceived, but by faith commit yourself to Jesus Christ, who alone is our Savior.