"The priest and the Levite had been for worship to the temple whose service was appointed by God Himself. To participate in that service was a great and exalted privilege, and the priest and Levite felt that having been thus honored, it was beneath them to minister to an unknown sufferer by the wayside. Thus they neglected the special opportunity which God had offered them as His agents to bless a fellow being. COL 382.1"
"And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side."
The EGW passage directly refers to the actions of the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, as described in Luke 10:31-32.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
The EGW passage critiques the priest and Levite for prioritizing temple service over showing mercy, which aligns with Matthew 23:23's condemnation of the Pharisees for focusing on minor details while neglecting justice, mercy, and faith. The connection is thematic, highlighting the importance of compassion over ritual.
"Many today are making a similar mistake. They separate their duties into two distinct classes. The one class is made up of great things, to be regulated by the law of God; the other class is made up of so-called little things, in which the command, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” is ignored. This sphere of work is left to caprice, subject to inclination or impulse. Thus the character is marred, and the religion of Christ misrepresented. COL 382.2"
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
Both passages address the hypocrisy of claiming to love God while neglecting or hating one's neighbor. The EGW passage directly references the command to love your neighbor, and 1 John 4:20 explicitly states the contradiction between claiming to love God and hating one's brother.
"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."
Both passages deal with neglecting the needs of others and the consequences of such neglect. Matthew 25:45 speaks of neglecting 'the least of these' as neglecting Christ himself, while the EGW passage speaks of neglecting the command to love your neighbor as yourself.
"with indifference and contempt upon those who have laid the temple of the soul in ruins. Others neglect the poor from a different motive. They are working, as they believe, in the cause of Christ, seeking to build up some worthy enterprise. They feel that they are doing a great work, and they cannot stop to notice the wants of the needy and distressed. In advancing their supposedly great work they may even oppress the poor. They may place them in hard and trying circumstances, deprive them of their rights, or neglect their needs. Yet they feel that all this is justifiable because they are, as they think, advancing the cause of Christ. COL 382.3"
"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."
Both passages address the issue of neglecting the needs of others, even while claiming to serve God. Matthew 25:45 highlights the consequences of neglecting 'the least of these,' while the EGW passage describes how some neglect the poor in pursuit of what they believe is a great work for Christ.