At this time, the idea of "Jewish pluralism diminished" greatly. Jewish pluralism is when a Jewish person also has Christian beliefs, concerning Jesus and his divinity (Brown: Messiah 46). This decline in Jewish pluralism was in response to a large negative feeling people held towards those who favored Christian beliefs. The Pharisee authorities and the synagogue held very hostile views towards all whom believed in and or favored the teachings and divinity of Jesus. Those who preached the good news and the words of Christ were being imprisoned, punished, and even killed by the government authorities. The religious authorities, such as the pharisee, operated under the powerful control of the Roman instituted government. An example of this relationship in the text appears when King Herod gathered all the "cheif priests and scribes of the people" and "inquired of them where the Christ was to be born" (Matthew 2:4). With these conditions, and the fear of persecution, it is difficult for the author of Matthew to reach the Jews and Gentile of the community. .
The story of the birth of Jesus is present in the both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but not in the Gospels of Mark and John. This inclusion of the birth narrative may be attributed to a the authors having a different supply of sources, or simply they felt the story had not only informative functions, but also gives the Gospel as a whole the ability to reach more Christian and most importantly non-Christian people. In other words, Mark and John simply may have considered the story of Jesus" birth non-essential to the spreading of the good word to their specific communities. Matthew and Luke, on the other hand, felt the addition to the story of Jesus" life would further convince the people of their particular communities that Jesus was the Messiah, and they must follow in his teachings in order to achieve salvation. Matthew's Gospel, along with Luke's, add to the basic story line set forth by Mark's Gospel, but essentially tend not to differ from it drastically.
