@bigdoggproblem said
Perhaps for similar reasons as those who strive to be like Socrates, Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein, etc.
Dead/alive doesn't matter much. Did they have at least some wise sayings or character traits worth emulating? That's the more important question.
Bottom line, Jesus asked us to be one with Him and His Father, doing that could only be done when a couple of things happen. First our sin nature had to be dealt with as well as our sins, both were done when Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and the Holy Spirit enters into the Christian life making us born again. This is all on Christ and we receive it, we don't through our own efforts either earn it, or work for it. From there we can start walking with God this is due to God leading us and being in our lives, again not us striving to be godlike, or simply emulating Christ.
Jesus being the Way isn't that Jesus takes us somewhere we need to be, it is that He personally is the Way, He is the goal and He has laid down His life for us. The rest is our turning to Him as Lord and following Him in His grace through faith, which takes it away from us in our ability to work for it suggesting God owed us for something we did. The only thing we are owed is to answer for the evil we have done, and that is what God is attempting to save us from.