Massey’s near-final words, said shortly before she was fatally shot by a deputy, have taken on a life of their own.
As video footage of the fatal police shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who lived in Springfield, Illinois, circulates online, many viewers are memorializing her near-final words: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Massey initially called 911 from her home on July 6, citing concerns of an intruder. The body-camera footage, which was released Monday by the Illinois State Police, shows sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson shooting Massey in the head following a brief exchange over a pot of hot water. Grayson has since been fired and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct, and the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Massey’s death.
According to some faith leaders and scholars, Massey’s near-last words, spoken twice in an even voice to the deputies before her death, carry a spiritual and cultural weight specific to Black church communities.
“Every person raised in a certain kind of black church knows the power and gravity of those words,” Womanist biblical scholar Wil Gafney wrote on her website on Tuesday. “Those are the words to be said when facing the evil that has walked in your door and will soon take your life. It is not a prayer to save one’s life or for God to come down and prevent the flagrant act of violence to come. It is something between a benediction and a malediction, laying bare the wickedness of the soul encased in human skin standing before her.”
In an Instagram Live on Wednesday night, author Austin Channing Brown noted her own “churchy” background before providing context for the rebuke, which she said was not in any way a threat.
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“Because white people think they have the corner market on what is normal, we are misinterpreted all the time,” she said.
The phrase has begun to take on a life of its own, becoming “memeified” and posted by faith leaders and others, including Essence Magazine, whose post about Massey and her parting phrase has been shared over 12,000 times on Facebook.
“It’s becoming, whether it’s on T-shirts or bumper stickers, that statement is flowing through everywhere,” said the Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, a pastor at Union Baptist Church in Springfield who has been serving as an informal liaison between Massey’s family and government officials.
McJunkins agreed that the phrase is a cultural one that’s especially common in Black charismatic church contexts. He said it’s typically invoked when something feels out of one’s hands, and certainly when there’s a sense of the demonic.
“We understand and we believe the Bible as it relates to there being power in the name of Jesus,” McJunkins told media.
Massey, who leaves behind two children, was a member of Second Timothy Baptist Church in Springfield. The Rev. Cary Beckwith, a pastor at nearby Springfield Grace United Methodist Church, was asked to officiate the July 19 funeral service, which included a sermon on Psalm 46 and a soloist performing Yolanda Adams’ anthem, “The Battle Is the Lord’s.” Several family members who spoke at the service remarked on Massey’s Christian faith.
“The darkness of that day cannot and will not extinguish the light of Sonya Massey,” Beckwith said to the packed funeral home.
Speaking to media, Beckwith provided his own explanation of Massey’s near-last words.
“For Sonya to say that I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, she, in that moment, saw something demonic in the eyes of that officer,” he said. “She felt something in her spirit that did not line up with the love of Jesus Christ.”
Some news outlets report that Massey had been managing a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia with medication. Massey was several feet away from the deputies when she was shot. She was not in a position to harm them, Beckwith said. He added, her mental illness “was not justification for her leaving this earth the way she did.”
In the days since the funeral, Beckwith told media that local faith leaders have responded to the tragedy by “taking cues” from local community groups, including the local Black Lives Matter chapter and Intricate Minds, a grassroots harm-reduction organization, which have organized peaceful marches and community events.
At a news conference on Monday, Ben Crump, the lawyer representing Massey’s family, spoke to reporters after the release of the video footage. “Until we get justice for Sonya Massey, we rebuke this discriminatory criminal justice system in the name of Jesus,” he said.
McJunkins, who co-founded the faith-based social justice group Faith Coalition for the Common Good in 2008, has been working behind the scenes in recent weeks, connecting Massey’s family with decision-makers and advocating on their behalf, particularly in conversations with Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. Earlier this week, Massey’s father, James Wilburn, and others began calling for Campbell’s resignation following news that Grayson had two prior DUI convictions and has worked at six different law enforcement agencies since 2020.
McJunkins hosted conversations between Massey’s family and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton at his church on Monday (July 22) and is teaming up with the Department of Justice to hold a community listening session at the church next Monday (July 29).
“My community needs to heal,” said McJunkins, who added that Massey’s death has hit close to home for many in Springfield. “Whether they know it or not, we’re going through the five stages of grief. As a community leader and religious leader, I’m not doing justice if I don’t step up to bring the community together, to walk them through a grief process.”
Amid that process, McJunkins said, Massey’s rebuke will continue to be a focal point and a rallying cry.
Kathryn Post is a reporter for Religion News Service based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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22 Responses
What? I must insert the TRUTH into this discussion: Charismatic churches with people of ALL colors, ethnicities and backgrounds utilize this phrase in daily life on a regular basis! That expression has NOTHING to do with “being black.” Instead, it is a routine expression of those who believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to intercede in a situation when a person/group is clearly exhibiting EVIL behaviors. This article, Julie, is not well-researched,. It is WAY off base.
Yes, thank you very much.
Nowhere in this article does it say that that saying is exclusive to Black charismatic churches, just that it’s very common in Black churches, and carries weight in Black communities in a way that you are likely unaware of unless you are a part of those communities. Just because you use the phrase, doesn’t mean you have expertise on how Black communities use the phrase- which is the nuance this article is trying to bring out.
Your indignence is misplaced. It seems like you are centering yourself in the very horrific extra-judicial murder of another innocent Black woman. It’s the wrong thing to be mad about in this article.
Definitely NOT a “Black Church” thing. All Penecostal people I know believe in the Authority of the Believer over spiritual evil that Jesus gives to all who believe in him.
Proverbs 3:5-6. God is ALWAYS in control. Miss Massey is in Heaven and this will serve a purpose, just one we likely won’t understand.
I’m not suggesting that it’s ONLY a Black Church thing, just that they may have nuance to it that people outside of the Black Church don’t get, because Black people have unique perspecives that can be different than white churches and people.
Also, this article didn’t suggest that it was ONLY a Black Church thing, just that it IS a Black Church thing.
Just like saying that hot dish is a thing at midwestern Baptist potlucks. It’s not ONLY at thing at midwestern Baptist potlucks, it occurs other places too, but hot dish definitely happens at midwestern Baptist potlucks- AND I bet different churches have specialty hot dish that show up every time. The Presbyterians may ALSO have hot dish at their potlucks in the midwest- but that doesn’t mean the Baptist hot dish is universal- I would put money on their being uniquenesses based on their culture.
A woman quoted in the article clearly said it’s a black thing and that white people didn’t understand it. You are quick to take the preordained Left-leaning, anti-Christian position on these articles but it seems you only read what you want to read. I also find it amusing that the author mentions Black Lives Matter when that organization has been thoroughly discredited as actually having anything to do with black lives.
Thanks for posting this news. In times like these, we need King Jesus to fight our battles. My prayer for the family as they grieve their lost, is that Her children will know the courage it took to stand her ground in the face of the enemy. May they become Drum Majors in the fight for “Liberty and Justice for All.” Deep in my heart, I do believe that this encounter is a “wake up” call for America to recognize how far we have strayed from
I couldn’t find any references to the “Black” church or the “White” church in scripture and I was taught the church welcomes all sinners even if their skin pigmentation doesn’t match. Can we please stop dividing people into pigmentation tribes and victim-oppressor wars?
That is because race in the way we use it is a fairly recent concept. It is, of course, made up- but that said, it has been weaponized to harm non-white people since the day it was created. Denying the impact of that is an easy-out for white people, and completely ignores the harm that has been done to people deemed non-white (which has included Italian immigrants at one point! https://andscape.com/features/white-immigrants-werent-always-considered-white-and-acceptable/).
Race is a construct, but we have done incredible harm with that construct- we can’t just declare it non-important in a society that still absolutely wields it as a weapon, even in faith communities. We must first acknowledge that harm exists- name that the largest protestant denomination in america was created to maintain a practice of slave holding. Name that white people took parts of the bible out entirely so enslaved people wouldn’t get ideas about freedom. Understand that the racism baked into the founding of our country and some of our denominations- though based completely on falsehoods- is still harming people. That’s are starting point. Then we work toward repair. THEN we can begin to ask “can we please stop deviding people into pigmentation tribes and victim-oppressor wars?”.
(also, the bible absolutely names different people groups and ethnicities, so there’s that).
All the people in Africa who sold slaves to slave merchants and all the people who bought slaves from slave merchants in pretty much every country in the world at some point in history and all the ethnic groups who were slaves in in pretty much every country in the world at some point in history are long dead. When you say “we” have done incredible harm” – who you are talking about? – they are all dead. The present-day harm comes from the racial adversity stirred up by people dredging up long-dead harms to pit people against each other, often in the name of feeling virtuous about themselves – they call it White Savior Syndrome. So yes, that “we” is still doing incredible harm. Put the bullhorn down and pick up a Bible instead.
There’s also the way black Africans were portrayed in European art and literature (including Shakespeare’s “Othello”).
Before the slave trade really took off, they were portrayed as “funny-looking foreigners”, emphasis on Foreign. (Like the white guys the next kingdom/duchy/barony over who dressed, acted, and talked funny.) With a touch of the exotic, because they came from a distant strange land beyond the Meditteranean and Sahara.
Only after the slave trade became really big-bucks did blacks become subhuman two-legged animals to be properly domesticated by their buyers/owners. “Dominion over all the beasts of the earth” and all that.
Also, like all Primates, humans are visually oriented, i.e. Sight is our primary sense. If two things look different in visual appearance (like coloration), they are different, period. If two things resemble each other in visual appearance, they are grouped together as related (f not the same). And Primates are also prone to dominance hierarchies…
“For Sonya to say that I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, she, in that moment, saw something demonic in the eyes of that officer”
Don’t let sentiments like this obscure the fact that there are serious systemic issues with the way the police deal with the mentally ill when they’re called to intervene. Far too many end up being shot and killed when all they needed was someone without a trigger finger who is trained to deal with such cases with kindness and understanding, and talk them down from their crisis moment without resorting to violence.
If you believe it can’t be done, then I can only refer you to the way these cases are handled in other countries where they death rate from such incidents is zero or extremely close to it. It doesn’t have to be this way. Cops are public servants, they’re not the warriors their recruitment campaigns often portray them as.
Amen, Mike- and even in so many professions in America, people deal with activated mentally ill people, or people who are under the influence, or people who are just really angry, even with weapons, and don’t kill them. Talk to nurses, teachers, front desk staff, fast food workers, EMTs, firefighters, and so many more professions, including mine working with folks who are unhoused- we don’t KILL people even when we feel threatened. we create distance, we deescalate, we lower the temperature, and we move away from the threat. Our current policing system is out of control. They justify killing people because they “fear for their lives”, but they’re literally trained to fear for their lives in every situation.
Jen, you said “Our current policing system is out of control. They justify killing people because they “fear for their lives”, but they’re literally trained to fear for their lives in every situation.” That statement is not only untrue, but unfair. Painting all LEO with the same ugly brush does a great disservice to the 99.9% who do their jobs well. Having worked in LE in various capacities including Policy and Procedure (Accreditation) and Detention Deputy, I know what is taught in the Academy. Our P&P requires clear articulation of the reasons for UOF. The hard questions get asked. The Internal Affairs investigation is grueling. Our LEO has co-responders who are trained MH pros. It’s a tough and dangerous job. There is no doubt Grayson should never have been certified for LE. He’s done now. The system did work, but it’s too little too late to give any comfort. The system wouldn’t let this one slide knowing his excuse “I feared for my life” was an obvious lie because he had other options before resorting to deadly force. https://www.arapahoeco.gov/your_county/county_departments/sheriffs_office/programs/behavioral_health_response_program.php
Daniel, I respectfully disagree that 99.9% of cops are “good cops”. if you have 10 good cops and one bad cop, but the 10 good cops (and their union) protect the bad cop from consequences, you have 11 bad cops. There are many reasons that our current policing system is a bad system, but it IS a bad system. Well meaning people, even people with good intentions, who participate in a bad system that regularly does harm are complicit in that harm. (this is true of cops and of churches, and of any other systems that are corrupt.)
There are some jobs that should absolutely have a zero fail rate, where mistakes are not tolerated. Pilots, for instance, don’t get a second chance to show up to work drunk. Doctors don’t get to molest TWO patients. I believe police should be on that list- they’re definitely not. It is incredibly hard to get rid of bad cops.
This is a very favorable article about Dave Grossman and Killology, and the move toward warrior/sheepdog philosophy which is part of what has made our police force so dangerous- to the point that I no longer believe it can be reformed. It needs to be abolished and re-envisioned for societal growth and the guardian model, rather than militaristic punishment of the warrior model.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/11/police-training-warrior-mindset-killology/
“ Daniel, I respectfully disagree that 99.9% of cops are “good cops”. if you have 10 good cops and one bad cop, but the 10 good cops (and their union) protect the bad cop from consequences, you have 11 bad cops. There are many reasons that our current policing system is a bad system, but it IS a bad system. Well meaning people, even people with good intentions, who participate in a bad system that regularly does harm are complicit in that harm. (this is true of cops and of churches, and of any other systems that are corrupt.)”
Spot on! For proof of this just watch a few of the many James Freeman vids as he’s been exposing the internal corruption for years.
My Appalachian grandmother would say this when she felt a ghost in her presence. It was a casting out of a demon. I use this phrase to this day to empower the strength of Jesus when I feel afraid.
Thank you LORD for taking Sonya into your loving arms. She is finally at peace and removed from this violent World. We all look forward to seeing her again in Your Eternal Kingdom. Please comfort her friends and Family, and may Your Justice be served. amen.
Dear Lord, please guide the minds of those investigating this terrible situation. May you lead them steadfast in the pursuit of truth and transparency to a just and righteous decision. In Jesus name. Amen
🙏
Different take: I grew up in a mainline church and didn’t hear this until maybe my 20’s or 30’s. Christians may use this in a serious way when faced with perceived evil. Or they may use it in a lighthearted way. Perhaps someone suggests it’ll rain on the church picnic. Someone may reply, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” meaning “I reject the thought of what you just said.”
I am convinced that when the officers said they were keeping their distance from the hot water, Ms. Massey said “I rebuke you…” to lightheartedly reject the very thought that she would harm them.
Anyone else think this?
I agree with you, Mr. Paul Zinter!
Having been raised in the “Bible Belt” I knew that, when Sonya Massey stated that she rebuked the officer in the name of Jesus, it was in no way a threat to him. Also, she didn’t use threatening tone, so I was shocked that he responded by shooting her!