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It is something that a bunch of of nomadic sheepherders would do. Of course nomadic sheepherders have been doing a lot of things that I find admirable - like eating and breathing and reproducing and loving their children.

 Substitutionary sacrifice has been going on since the Garden of Eden. It has always been the same. Man sins and justice demands a payment. God provides the payment so man does not have to. Now if you want to make the payment yourself then that is your choice - it is your life not mine. But to me I much prefer a substitute. I think God's plan is better.

So which part would you expect a creator to change? Should God not be just and demand payment from those who have corrupted an entire perfect universe through their sin? Should God demand a penalty that does not recognize the Holy nature of God? That would be wrong too. Rightness requires that a penalty be paid. Rightness requires that the penalty be the a separation of the guilty from the Holy (death).

God balances perfectly the concepts of justice, holiness, and mercy. It is mercy that requires that God find a way for there to be a substitute. A substitute that is offered to those who logically undue the sin of rejecting God and his universe and plan. Since the sin was first to disbelieve that god knew what he was doing when He created the world the solution is to believe and trust that God is God and knows what He is doing. Everyone who repents deserves a second chance (or a third or fourth...)