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Jesus did not die on the cross for all of mankind, and this was the last thought in his mind at the time. Jesus incited the wrath of the establishment because he preached that man was free and encouraged free thought. He disliked money changers, seeing them as usurious and parasitic on the hard work of the people, and didn't hesitate to say so. He suggested that the wealthy class should share their profits more equitably with the people who made these profits possible, the workers. None of this rested well with the established, the rulers, who were well connected to the bankers, merchants, and wealthy of that day. They considered Jesus a threat to their comfortable life, a rabble rouser. He was crucified as the result of a death sentence, just as innumerable other people were crucified at that time. Did they all die so that mankind would not have to suffer?
Many legends have sprung up surrounding the death of Jesus by crucifixion. Jesus, being at ease with the telepathic nature that humans normally posses, had tapped into the fact that his enemies were arranging the circumstances of his crucifixion. Because he commented on this outcome his followers have endlessly speculated as to what was meant by his comments. He simply meant that what he expected had come to pass. As Jesus had an avid following convinced he was no ordinary man, his followers sought to recover his body and give it what they deemed a proper burial. In their fervor they disturbed more than one grave, and this has resulted in the tale that many graves opened and the dead arose and walked forth. Of course, this never happened! The heart wishes it to be so, especially as the heart wishes the beloved Jesus to live still, so the heart drives the legend.
Stories about the crucifixion of Jesus abound, as much to promote the Christian faith as to discredit it. Rival faiths, such as the Islamic faith, have purported stories to counter Christian stories. Thus, as Christians state that Jesus died on the cross for all of mankind, essentially creating a martyrdom situation where all of mankind might feel obliged somehow to Jesus and therefore the religious elite who claim to represent him, the Islamic religious elite sought to counter this. What greater blow to a supposed martyr than to cast aspersions on their dedication and state, as they have, that Jesus did not take the crucifixion but required a double for this painful situation? The problem with this story telling game is that neither story is correct and is therefore an utter waste of time on all sides.