Bible Verses About Sabbath: Preparations for

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two 'omers per person; and all the community leaders came and reported to Moshe.

Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P'rushim went together to Pilate

Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before a Shabbat), as evening approached,

It was Preparation Day, and a Shabbat was about to begin.

It was Preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on Shabbat, since it was an especially important Shabbat. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.