Answer:
because he was very a selfish man and a miser.
Explanation:
In the story "Wonderful Pear Tree", the priest fooled the countryman because he was very a selfish man and a miser. He didn't even had the compassion to give one pear to the priest who was so hungry and weary.
In order to teach him a lesson, the priest fooled the countryman by growing a pear tree and distributing the pears among the crowds which were, in fact, the countryman's pears.