John 19 and the Cross

If Judah was their son, his existence would most certainly have been kept secret. Since Jesus was perceived to be a pretender to the royal throne, Jesus' son would have been a target of arrest and crucifixion by Roman authorities.

It was a time of great persecution. Anyone associated with Jesus' ministry was threatened. His cousin, John the Baptist, beheaded. James, the brother of Jesus, stoned to death. Simon, another brother, crucified.

If they were parents, Jesus and Mary would have known that leaking knowledge of the birth of their child would have put the child at terrible risk. So perhaps the unnamed, beloved disciple referred to in the book of John is actually the son of Jesus, who remains unnamed in the text to conceal the child's lineage.

In John 19 .26, Jesus asks the beloved disciple at the base of the cross to behold his mother. He then says to Mary,.

Woman, behold your son.

Traditionally, this scene has been understood as Jesus addressing Mary, his mother. But can this be later theology? Could it be that Jesus was talking to Mary Magdalene, his wife, asking her to protect their sons?