In 1992, Bill Clinton was running for president of the US. At the beginning of the campaign, he faced an uphill battle. George Bush was the president and was very popular following a war in the Middle East. In addition, there were charges of corruption and sexual improprieties in Clinton’s past. His odds of becoming president seemed very small.

But a recession hit the US in the months before the election. James Carville, one of Clinton’s major advisors, came up with a slogan. He put this slogan on a sign and put it in Clinton’s office. It said: “It’s the economy, stupid.” The point was that if he wanted to win the election, Clinton needed to focus on the economy. When asked about his corruption or sexual indiscretions, he was to deny them, then immediately talk about how bad the economy was. Clinton was to remind the people of how difficult their lives were because of how Bush had affected their financial circumstances. Clinton, who was extremely intelligent, was not to discuss detailed policy points even though that was one of his strengths. He was to focus on the bread-and-butter issues of people’s lives. Carville was telling his boss that even though he was a powerful and intelligent man, he was stupid if he didn’t direct his attention at the economy. Carville told him he would lose the election if he didn’t follow his advice.

The strategy worked. Clinton took Carville’s advice to heart. In interviews and presidential debates, he emphasized economic issues, reminding people of the cost of things and how difficult it was for many to find a good-paying job. He won the election easily.

There is an exact parallel when it comes to studying the Bible. If we want to understand what the text is saying, there is something we must focus on. We may be very good at certain aspects of interpretation, such as how to use technical Greek tools. A person may be very intelligent and able to communicate effectively. But if he ignores what he needs to focus on, these other skills will be of little value. If he wants to understand what the text says or teach others what it means, he will “lose” if he doesn’t focus on this important point.

What is that point? It’s the context of the text. Who is the audience? Why is the author talking about the subject he’s addressing? What is the purpose of the book? What happens immediately before and after the text? Regardless of any other abilities and tools we have, if we don’t look at the context of the verses we’re studying, we’ll miss the point.

Many reading this blog will understand what I’m talking about. We have all seen great and intelligent speakers butcher the Bible because they didn’t consider the context of the passage they were dealing with. They blew it, even though they had great illustrations and were able to hold the listeners’ attention. If we’re honest with ourselves—if we have spent any time studying and teaching the Bible—we’ll admit that we’ve been guilty of the same thing.

Just this week, I was asked to speak on a particular passage. I had dealt with these verses in the past and felt pretty confident that I knew what was going on. But I had never seriously considered the context, and in preparation for the message I looked at it in detail. I discovered that I had previously misinterpreted those verses. I missed what the Lord was saying. It was a good reminder. It was as if I had a spiritual James Carville whispering in my ear.

Maybe there’s a place in your home where you study the Bible. Perhaps it’s a desk in a den, or a chair at the kitchen table. If so, it might be a good idea to make a sign, perhaps in needlepoint, and hang it in that location. It would be a simple sign. It would consist of four words: “It’s the context, stupid.”