During the week of Jesus' crucifixion, there were two Sabbaths involved in the timing of His burial and resurrection. The first was an annual Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which began at sunset after the day of Passover, a preparation day. This Sabbath was described as a high day. The second was the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Jesus was crucified on the preparation day for the annual Sabbath, which fell on a Wednesday in the year of His crucifixion. His body was placed in the grave late that Wednesday afternoon before the high-day Sabbath began. He remained in the grave for three days and three nights, a total of 72 hours, from Wednesday night through Saturday, and He arose on the Sabbath afternoon before sunset. The timing of His resurrection on the Sabbath does not establish the day of worship, as the Sabbath was already set apart and holy by God.

During the week of the crucifixion, there were two distinct Sabbaths. The day of the crucifixion was the preparation day for the Passover, and the following day was a high day, an annual Sabbath associated with the feast of Unleavened Bread, which fell on the 15th of Abib. This annual Sabbath occurred on a Thursday in the year of the crucifixion, following the Passover on Wednesday, the 14th of Abib, when Jesus was crucified and buried late in the afternoon. After this annual Sabbath, on Friday, Mary Magdalene and her companions purchased and prepared spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They then rested on the weekly Sabbath, which was Saturday, according to the commandment. This sequence of events, with an annual high-day Sabbath on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday, demonstrates that there were two Sabbaths during that crucial week, with a day in between for preparation activities.

The concept of two Sabbaths during the crucifixion week emerges from the sequence of events surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. Scripture indicates that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, the fourteenth of Abib/Nisan, which was the preparation day for the first day of Unleavened Bread, a high Sabbath. After His burial by Joseph near sunset, a Sabbath drew near, marking the beginning of this high day on the fifteenth of Abib/Nisan. Following this high Sabbath, the regular weekly Sabbath occurred on the seventh day, completing the period of three days and three nights that Jesus spent in the tomb. He rose from the grave as this weekly Sabbath ended, precisely 72 hours after His burial, fulfilling His prophecy. This timeline, with a high Sabbath immediately following the crucifixion and the regular Sabbath at the end of the 72 hours, demonstrates the presence of two distinct Sabbaths during that crucial week.