Jesus is in the way to God

For some people, it seems that Jesus is not the way to God, but rather he is in the way to God, as if he is saying, "No, you don't! You can't come to God unless you get by me first!" Again, Jesus is here to help people find God, and God is interested in leading people to Jesus. What a tragedy if we give any other impression! - Brian McLaren (More Ready Than You Realize, p53)

I thought that was exactly what John 4:16-17 meant:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 

It seems here that Jesus is saying that he is in the way to God. Not only that, later in John, Jesus seems to go one step further and claim to be God. John 8:58: Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (I AM was the name God told Moses he had in Exodus 3:14) again in John 10:30 Jesus also said: "I and the Father are one." Jesus isn't so much leading people to God, as claiming to be God.