The Pharisees asked him, "Look! Why are they doing what is not lawful on Sabbath days?"

Then he asked them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do evil on Sabbath days, to save a life or to destroy it?" But they remained silent.

It was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath. Since it was already evening,

Then he told them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

Jesus happened to be going through the grain fields on a Sabbath. As they made their way, his disciples began picking the heads of grain.