Article Reflection: Kgatle Article
John McHugh
GLST 650: Intercultural Communication
November 4, 2023
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
Critical Review..............................................................................................................................1
Reflection and Analysis.................................................................................................................2
Continually Reproduced Disciples......................................................................................2
“All things that I have commanded you”............................................................................3
Globalisation........................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................4
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................5
ii
1
Introduction
In Christianity, it would be difficult to find many individuals without knowledge of the
Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20), These passages within the Gospel of Matthew are often
quoted as instructions for believers to evangelize and conduct mission trips. At times, the full
depths of Jesus’ instructions may be missed by some people and in some settings. The article,
“Globalisation of missions: An exegesis on the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20)” by Mookgo S.
Kgatle explores these important passages and applies them to the global aspect of evangelical
missions.
Critical Review
Mookgo Kgatle introduces the article as such – “a grammatical historical
approach on Matthew 28:18–20”1 This approach is intended to emphasize a couple of
important aspects of the Great Commission – “Jesus’ authority in heaven and on earth is a
global authority”2 and “the commissioning of Jesus’ disciples…is a call to global
missions.”3 The majority of the article take the form of an exegesis of the passages, with
introductory and conclusional summaries to support the author’s assertion of the Great
Commission as a call to globalized missions.
Kgatle provides a concise introduction to explain the background of the Great
Commission scriptures and summary of his view of the passages as a call to global
missions. Here, the author asserts his thesis – “The conclusion here is that the Great
1 Mookgo Kgatle, "Globalisation of missions: An exegesis on the Great Commission
(Mt 28:18–20)" In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi [Online], Volume 52 Number 1 (11 July 2018), 1.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
2
Commission in this passage is a call to global missions.”4 This thesis aptly sets the
direction for the article.
The author provides a significant review of the theological and interpretive
context of the chosen passages before beginning the exegetical portion of the article. The
exegesis takes a grammatical approach to the Great Commission passages with an
emphasis on points that lend themselves to the globalisation view. I found the exegesis to
be thorough. The assertions in the article are aligned with my personal beliefs, however,
it was obvious at times that the author had an agenda in this writing. The article
concludes with a brief summarizing discussion of the relationship between the Great
Commission and missions, namely globalised missions.
Reflection and Analysis
Continually Reproduced Disciples
I was intrigued by the author’s statement – “Matthew 28:18-20 is a charge given by Jesus
to his disciples in order that they may continually reproduce themselves for as long as Christ
desires.”5 There can be little or no argument about the validity of this statement. I was drawn to it
as a commentary on the modern church, and maybe as a conviction. This is an area that I see
failing in many churches. The keys here are “continually reproduce” and “as long as Christ
desires.” To continually reproduce requires obedience and teaching with a goal of true
discipleship. This is a great point locally and globally.
4 Kgatle, "Globalisation of missions,” 1.
5 Ibid., 2.
3
“All things that I have commanded you”
In the exegetical section of the article titled “All things that I have commanded you,”6
Kgatle makes the assertion that “the final phrase of the Great Commission, ‘teaching them to
obey everything that I have commanded’, refers to the on-going training in all the commands of
the New Testament.”7 Once again, this is a very sound statement. Teaching the commands of the
New Testament is not a consistent facet of the evangelical discipling process. In some cases, the
teaching phase is overlooked after we evangelize and baptize. More people should keep this
passage underlined and prioritized.
Globalisation
Kgatle makes an important statement in his “Globalisation of mission” portion of this
article – “Before mission is globalised there is a need to localise it.”8 This points out that you
cannot effectively globalise a mission that is not already “locally relevant.”9 If we are not living
out the Great Commission in our backyard, how can we be expected to take it outside of our
walls? This is a very important distinction that local churches and organizations should note.
Jesus’ commissioning is global, as Kgatle showed, but we must remember that our local
neighborhood is a part of being global.
Conclusion
Mookgo S. Kgatle provided an outline of his intention in this article and exegesis of the
Great Commission. The goal in this case was met and the author’s message was conveyed well.
6 Kgatle, "Globalisation of missions,” 4.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid., 5.
9 Ibid.
4
Although it could be perceived that the exegesis was written with the end in mind, the
interpretation and analysis was solid. Kgatle made a clear and strong argument for the
globalisation of missions per the passages reviewed. It would be difficult to argue against the
author’s assertions in this article. With the thorough explanations of global missions and the
requirements to be effective, I would recommend this read for any person or church seeking
clarity on missions.
