Christ - a Martyr?

Several years ago I found myself in a debate with a young man about the life of Christ. He said, "Jesus was a good teacher, a fine moral example and ahead of His time. His death was a tragedy. People always  try to silence what they do not understand. He was a martyr for His cause."  Was Christ a victim of the angry mobs when He was crucified? Did He lose control of the situation? Was He merely a pawn in the hands of His enemies?
       The greatest miscarriage of justice in human history took place when Christ was nailed to the Cross. The Jews, who falsely accused the Lord, were wicked men who manipulated Pilate and stirred up the crowd.(Matthew 27:15-26) However, our Lord was not the unwitting victim of unruly throngs. The account of the crucifixion is far more than a record of a good moral teacher being sacrificed as a martyr. All that happened  before, during and after the crucifixion was part of the eternal redemptive purpose of God.
When the Apostle Peter spoke to the Jews shortly after the death and resurrection of Christ he said, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."(Acts 2:23) There are two important principles in this statement. First, God held the Israelites responsible for their hardened rejection of the Messiah. Second, the actual death of Christ was predetermined long before it happened. In other words, Christ was not a victim of unfortunate circumstances; rather, that which happened to Him was part of the redemptive decree of God. The Lord came to earth to die. He continually instructed his disciples in this truth. In John 10:15-18 He said, "... I lay down My life for the sheep... I lay down My life that I might take it again. No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself."
       Why did the Lord Jesus Christ come to die upon the Cross? In the words of the Lord, "For the Son of Man came... to give His life a ransom for many."(Mark 10:45) His death was a ransom. The word "ransom" means "to purchase by means of a payment." The Lord’s death was the price paid for sinners. It is because of His sacrifice in their place that sinners are saved - made children of God. Christ’s death was absolutely
essential in the redeeming of God’s children. (Hebrews 9:11-22)
       The Cross was not an exhibition of mob rule. It was a display of Divine Sovereignty, Love and Justice. It was through His death that redemption was accomplished for every believer in Christ.