Jesus died for our sins.
Jesus had to die, in order to die for our sins.
Therefore Pontius Pilate had no choice in the matter, it was preordained by God that his only begotten son, Jesus, would die for our sins.
That is my understanding too. I heard that explanation a long time ago and it stuck as being the perfect answer.
Your's is the correct answer, but from a strictly human perspective - although I acknowledge that God rules all (Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps) - I can understand Pilate's decision.
He knew that the Lord Jesus was innocent. Pilate wanted to release Him. Pilate's wife warned him not to harm Jesus (apparently she had some history of foresight - or else he would have ignored the warning).
BUT the Jewish leaders held the trump card. After Pilate seemed to renege on a previous arranged agreement (the Jewish leaders seemed genuinely surprised that Pilate wasn't going along with the plans to crucify Christ) they played the card. They'd 'rat' Trump out to Caesar. And as noted, Pilate had a bad history as the Judean governor. He was supposed to maintain peace, and there had been various violent outbreaks. And Pilate had dealt ruthlessly with the people. Pilate knew if the Jewish leaders sent the report to Rome that Pilate facilitated a rebellion by not following the leaders advice, Pilate would lose his head.
He was a coward, and didn't do what he knew was right ... but many of us would have failed this test. Do what is right, and lose your life, or do what is expedient, and live another day.
But you are correct. Jesus Christ came to save a lost people. He was going to bare our sins at Calvary's Cross, and He was going to take the wrath of God that we all deserved. Praise God!
Pilate and the Jewish leaders were just players in this great act of God - to save humans that all bore the sin of Adam.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He [God] hath made Him [Christ] to be sin for us, who [Christ] knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him [Christ].
“Therefore Pontius Pilate had no choice in the matter...”
That’s a mistake. God may have preordained Jesus to die but he didn’t preordain Pilate’s choices. Pilate still had free will.
“On a hill far away
stood an old rugged cross/the emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross/where the dearest and best
For a world full of sinners was slain...’’
Not trying to get into an argument, rather sharing my perspective. My feeling is while God knows everything that has and will happen, the person, whether Judas, Pilate etc. made a free will choice to do what they did. God knowing what they chose to do has no bearing on what they did.