Christ did not have to die for our sins. We did not have to be reconciled with God.
God chose to do this for us. He didn't have to.
He could have said I'm sick of them, I'm sending another rainstorm and nobody builds an ark this time. He could have simply said they don't want Me, I'm separating Myself forever from them, literally guaranteeing a Hell on earth.
But He didn't. He died for us and reconciled us to Him. He didn't have to.
Did Judas have to betray Christ? No. He could have stood up to temptation and pride, said this man is my friend and I'm going to do what's right. Maybe then he really would have been the hero as the Gnostics like to pretend, and the Precious Blood would not have needed to be spilled.
Or if Pilate said this man is innocent and I'm releasing Him whether you like it or not and to heck with my job. Maybe God would have accepted that as reconciliation.
Or if the Jewish authorities said "Hey, you are the Christ. We will follow."
Of course, maybe doesn't count. None of those things happened. The Crucifixion occurred followed by the Resurrection and our souls were purchased with pain.
Excellent synopsis.
The result(s) of Judas having said "nope - I ain't doin' it" would have kind of made a mess out of all the OT prophecy concerning Christ's coming and his sacrifice and crucifixion, no?