Is Jesus the ONLY way?

Jesus told us "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That seems pretty clear. But why did He say that?

For one thing Jesus also said that only He has seen God the Father, and thus only He can show Him to everyone else. For another (and this is in my layperson opinion) no other religion in my knowledge portrays God as Jesus portrays Him. Many religions show God as either all-too-human, detached from human existence, more of a concept than a real person, etc. In other words, no other religion has a God that is transcendent (someone we cannot even begin to comprehend) yet immanent (someone we can get to know like a close friend). Sounds paradoxical, right? But He is so. What other God is portrayed as stictly just yet extremely merciful, all-powerful yet humble enough to bow to death for us? Most religions portray God as one or the other, while ours portray God as BOTH. Wow. An omniscient, omnipotent being who cares for us like a father, never forcing anything on us, always patient, always loving. And we know this because Jesus tells us so. So if we want to know, love and serve this God, then Jesus is indeed the one and only way (and truth and life).