Acts 3:13

“The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.”

Let them now recognise that the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the One Who had made them such great promises (Acts 3:25), the One to whom they claimed close allegiance, was also the One who had ‘glorified' His Servant Jesus. It was He Who had raised Him up and seated Him on His throne and given Him glory (compare John 17:5; Isaiah 52:13).

They would remember that when God had first revealed Himself to Moses as ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob' it had been in order to establish His servant Moses. (All in the crowd would know the words by heart). But now a greater than Moses was here, and He had glorified His Servant Jesus. In Isaiah 41:8 the God of Abraham raised up seed to Abraham to be His Servant (see Acts 3:25).

But in contrast to what God had done in ‘glorifying' Him and raising Him up, they had rather delivered Him up, and denied that He was their Messiah before the face of Pilate, when Pilate had determined to release Him. Peter makes quite clear that it was Jewish prejudice and refusal to accept God's chosen One that had to bear the weight of Jesus' conviction and sentence. His desire is that they recognise their guilt and repent and change the attitude of their minds and hearts and wills.

All who read these words have also to pass their verdict on the situation. Will they side with the unbelieving Jews or recognise that Pilate, and God, were right?

‘The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers.' This was the name under which God spoke to Moses when He called him to deliver Israel (Exodus 3:6; Exodus 3:15). It would immediately link what he had to say with Moses, and with God's deliverance.

‘Glorified His Servant (pais).' The idea comes directly from Isaiah 52:13 LXX where both verb and noun appear. Compare also Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 50:10 LXX. The claim is being made that Jesus is the Servant of the Lord described by Isaiah, Who would be humiliated and made a sacrifice, bearing the sins of others, and would then be glorified.

Note on the Servant of the Lord.

Central to Isaiah 41-55 is the concept of the Servant of the Lord who is coming. He is portrayed as a righteous and gracious king (Isaiah 42:1), One Who acts in God's name to bring Him glory and deliver His people and to be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:1), One Who being taught by God takes His message to men through much suffering (Isaiah 50:4) and Who coming in humility is finally offered up as a kind of sacrifice for the sins of His people (Isaiah 53:1), will rise again (Isaiah 53:10), and will finally be exalted in glory (Isaiah 52:13). This, putting it simply, is the idea that Peter has in mind.

End of note.