"Wycliffe was a keen detector of error, and he struck fearlessly against many of the abuses sanctioned by the authority of Rome. While acting as chaplain for the king, he took a bold stand against the payment of tribute claimed by the pope from the English monarch and showed that the papal assumption of authority over secular rulers was contrary to both reason and revelation. The demands of the pope had excited great indignation, and Wycliffe's teachings exerted an influence upon the leading minds of the nation. The king and the nobles united in denying the pontiff's claim to temporal authority and in refusing the payment of the tribute. Thus an effectual blow was struck against the papal supremacy in England. GC 82.1"
"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
Wycliffe's actions, as described in the EGW passage, exemplify the principle of obeying God rather than men, as stated in Acts 5:29. He defied the Pope's authority because he believed it was contrary to reason and revelation, prioritizing his understanding of God's will over human demands.