They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.

One Sabbath He was walking along [with His disciples] through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began picking the heads of grain.

The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath [and He has authority over it].”

The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him [in the Jewish high court].

He asked them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?

When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased [sweet-smelling] spices, so that they might go and anoint Him.