Jesus often uses metaphors or analogies in His teaching and preaching, and He does that today (Mk 3: 31-35). He tells the crowd around Him-- and, by extension, us-- that those who do His Father's will are his "brother and sister and mother." Obviously He does not mean that literally. In fact, in this passage His mother and his "brothers" have arrived at the house where Jesus is surrounded by a crowd, obviously asking to see Him, which gives Jesus a springboard to make the comparison that He makes. So we might sit with that metaphor for a minute. What does it mean that when we do God's will, we're Jesus' mother and brother and sister? I suppose when Jesus says that someone is His brother, sister or mother in a metaphorical sense, He is saying that they are in a relationship with Him that is as close, as loving, as connected as it would be if they had that literal, blood relationship. There is a personal, heartfelt connection. There is a genetic link. They share a common history and origin. So, to complete the thought behind the metaphor, when we do God's will, we're putting ourselves into a relationship with Christ that is as close, as personal, as intimate and as loving as would be the relationship between Jesus and His mother, sisters and brothers. We're connected at some viceral, gut level. We're cut from the same bolt of cloth. Imagine, then, what that means. When we do a simple thing like honoring the sabbath, or honoring our parents, or telling the truth, or caring for the sick, homeless, imprisoned, hungry (you get the point), we're connecting ourselves to Christ as closely as we would be connected if we were literally blood relatives. Sure it is true that we are all sons and daughters of God, and thus brothers and sisters of Christ in that sense. But Jesus today is talking about something more, about the fact that how we behave can improve (or diminish) that relationship which we all have. Next time we catch ourselves doing something which is in accordance with the Father's will-- something as simple as saying grace before a meal-- let's remember that doing so deepens our relationship with Jesus. What more motivation would we need?