In his discussion of the Lord’s Supper in Corinthians, Paul tells them that there is no temptation overtaking them that was not common to man. The context of this exhortation was the fact that they had apparently been putting on airs, over against the Jews. We have been baptized. We have spiritual food, they were saying. We have
spiritual drink as well. But Paul cuts them off—the Jews were baptized also, in the cloud and in the sea. The Jews had a spiritual food, the kind that fell out of the sky. The Jews had a spiritual drink, water that came straight from Christ Himself. Nevertheless, a covenantal judgment fell on most of them, and they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Paul does not tell the Corinthians this because he believes that their situation was completely different. They were the ones who thought that. Paul was teaching them that the temptation of despising the sacraments by means of sexual corruption was common to man. The pattern of the wilderness wanderings was given to us so that we would learn that God provides a way of escape. As He did for them, He will do for us.
So the phrase that “no temptation has overtaken you” is not referring to the fact that if you are tempted to be impatient with family members, then you can count on the fact that others have been tempted the same way. That is quite true, but it is not what Paul is talking about here. Paul is saying that the temptation to come to God’s table of grace, and to sneak around on the side as well, is common to man. But God shows us the way out. Come, and welcome.