Volume 33

They’re crucial to feeding the globe and they have a fascinating history, beginning 5,000 years ago when soybeans were first cultivated in Asia. The Chinese considered them one of the five sacred grains necessary to sustain life, along with rice, wheat, barley and millet. But soybeans didn’t make their way to North America until 1765.

That’s when sailor Samuel Bowen brought back seeds from China. He gave them to Henry Yonge, a government land official in Georgia, who planted them and got three bountiful crops in a single growing season. When Bowen harvested the crops and came up with a way to make soy noodles, he won a patent and a medal from King George. But when he died in 1777, soybeans slipped into obscurity.

Then in 1851, an American ship called the Auckland rescued some Japanese sailors from their sinking ship. When the U.S. vessel reached California, port officials refused to let the Japanese off the Auckland, fearing they’d spread disease. But a Dr. Benjamin Edwards was in the area waiting for a ship, and he examined the Japanese sailors, finding them perfectly healthy. In gratitude, they gave the doctor a package of soybean seeds, which he took home to Illinois and gave to horticulturist John Lea.

When Lea planted the soybeans, he was astonished at how well they grew. He shared seeds with others, who passed them along to friends, who also gave them out and — before long — soybeans were wildly popular. By the 1890s, scientists discovered that, not only were soybeans great for feeding livestock, they actually improved the soil they were planted in by taking nitrogen from the air and converting it into a form that enriches dirt. An early and avid soybean supporter was carmaker Henry Ford whose researchers turned them into paint, plastic and fabric. Ford’s chef, Jan Willemse, concocted dozens of soybean recipes and many were featured at the 1934 World’s Fair. Even health guru and cereal maker John Kellogg featured soybeans at his spa in, Michigan.

By World War Two, production soared and soybeans fed millions of refugees. Oil from the beans was used to make glycerin, a solvent and lubricant. Today, soybeans are a leading source of animal feed and vegetable oil, contain seven of the eight amino acids essential for human health, and used to make hundreds of products, from hand cleaners and hydraulic oils to fuel additives and graffiti removers.

If there’s a spiritual equivalent to soybeans, it’s the powerful effects of the Bible, the Word of God. “I’m not ashamed of this Good News about Christ,” writes the apostle Paul. “It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes... This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.” (Rom. 1:16,17)

The Word is the sacred sustenance necessary for life — the “life in all its fullness” offered by Jesus (John 10:10.) When planted in our hearts, the Scripture nourishes and strengthens us, yielding multiple harvests as it takes us from one level of growth and understanding to the next. Through the Bible, we learn everything we need to know about God, ourselves, and how to relate with genuine love and service to those around us.

Just as soybeans took hold as one believer shared with another, so, too, the Word takes root best when we experience God then pass along the source of our bountiful harvest of the heart. We need to tell everyone who will listen that the Holy Spirit works through his Book to enrich our hearts and make them more fertile for the seeds of faith, love and hope. The Bible “straightens us out and teaches us to do what’s right... preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do” (2 Tim 3:16)

The Word is versatile, feeding our souls and providing the essentials of our spiritual health. It lubricates the inner workings of the church, acts as a divine solvent to lift and dissolve the grime of sin, and helps fuel our journey toward Jesus. It’s spiritual soy. Milk it for all it’s worth.

By Rick Gamble. Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at rgamble@bfree.on.ca