Still, the flock had no real comprehension of the man.
That’s because they couldn’t read! Nevertheless, like it or not, within the confines of their abilities, gifts and talents, they still obey the whims and will of their creator
No goose could. It did not have vision or wisdom of that scope.
We could imagine what some goose-philosophers might come up with to explain the man, or even try to help the man. They might end up trying to put grains of corn in his tobacco pipe thinking it to be a beak.
The story of human religion so often turns out to be like that. We think we have to prove to God that we’re wise and good, rather than needing to take our folly and evil before the Lord to be cleansed away and us to be transformed in His mercy.
And mercy scares us, because we know of not a single way we can obligate God to it. But we would not need to obligate God to it. This would be like needing to obligate a river to being wet. If we’re dry, it’s because we refuse to drink. Not because the river did not keep on being wet.