While I was thinking about this loaf today, I realized that you can learn a lot from marble rye. In the first place, you have four layers of alternate light and dark doughs wrapped around each other in a cinnamon roll type layering, yet each layer stays completely separate from the others. You don't get a half and half beige mix, but a definite light-dark swirl. Paul, when he discusses the discipline necessary in 1 Corinthians 5, says at one point, I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world (1Cor 5:9-10). Just as Jesus talks about "letting our light shine before men," Paul recognizes the need to be out in this unrighteous world. How else can we teach? How else can we influence people for good? How else can we serve, if nothing else? Yet Peter tells us that we must [have] your behavior seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation (1Pet 2:12). We are among them, but not like them. We, instead, show them the way, just like my dark rye dough wraps itself around my light rye dough, yet the dark does not affect the light.
This certainly does not mean that we socialize with them for the sake of socializing only. When Jesus "ate with sinners," he did so to teach. Are you teaching those sinners, or simply enjoying their company because they are "more fun" to be around than your brethren? Are they affecting you more than you are affecting them?
And then we see the good old leaven principle. All four layers of my dough, both dark and light, are affected by the leaven in the dough. They all rise exactly the same way, to the same height, with the same texture. The light does not get fluffier. The dark does not become denser. They become exactly the same. Leaven can work two ways, either for the good or the bad. Paul and Jesus both talk about leaven as sin (Luke 12:1; 1 Cor 5:6-8). Yet Jesus also tells a parable of leaven in a loaf, a loaf representing the kingdom and its growth. Leaven will do its thing. It will even create itself if you leave it alone long enough. That's where sourdough comes from. Be sure the leaven you are using is the leaven of righteousness, you influencing your friends and neighbors for good, and even your brothers and sisters when they need it, not them influencing you for bad.
Now back to my kneading…
A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Gal 5:9).
Dene Ward