If you say one thing in a joking manner, but then do the opposite, is it still a lie just because the other person missed the joke?

Question:

I was wondering about lying. Let's say my wife tells me just want to look at my hobby and my response is no, but I say it in a very playful way -- a way that she knows that I am playing and that I really mean that yes I was wanting to look at my hobby. Since we know each other well enough, and she can tell and knows the difference since it was only a joke and there were no other persons around just her and I, does that still constitute a lie?

Answer:

What you are asking is for your wife to read your mind with 100% accuracy -- something no one can do. "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" (I Corinthians 2:11). She might miss the clues you give to say you are joking. To make sure there is no misrepresentation, after having your joke, it should be followed up with exactly what you meant. "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, "I was only joking!" " (Proverbs 26:18-19). Saying that it was a joke after the fact comes across as a lame cover-up even when it is the truth.

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