Ox in the Mire

In a previous post, I mentioned our septic system at our Montana ranch. Waste water flowed from the house to a small septic tank a short distance from the house and then on to a crude cesspool. The cesspool was just a pit that was lined with timbers and then it was covered with planks. Waste flowed into the cesspool and was leached out into the surrounding soil. We knew what was below those planks and we did not venture to play on them at the risk of falling into a very undesirable place.

As I was sorting through my Dad's pictures yet again, I came across a series of pictures that tell an interesting story. As I looked at them, I was reminded of the scripture in the the New Testament, book of Luke, where the Pharisees watch to see what Christ will do when he comes upon a sick man. Christ asked them if it was right to heal on the Sabbath Day and then he healed the man and answered with another question: "...saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?" Though we are cautioned that we should not deliberately or through negligence allow the ox to get in the mire, I think any diligent farmer would straightway get him out. I can only imagine the urgency with which my Dad went about getting this unfortunate horse out of the pit he had fallen into--yes, our cesspool.