He (God) saw to it that Joseph be born of the royal family; He wanted him to be noble even with earthly nobility. The blood of David, of Solomon, and of all the kings of Judah flows in his veins. St. Peter Julian Eymard
In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we learn that St. Joseph is of the lineage of the Davidic kings. The Old Testament prophets always taught that the Messiah would come from the Davidic line.
Mary, our spiritual mother, was most likely a descendant of King David as well, but her ancestry is not given in the New Testament. Matthew and Luke present the lineage of joseph because the Davidic ancestry of the Messiah needed to be shown through the father’s line.
Therefore, Matthew and Luke made a point emphasizing that even though Jesus is not the biological son of Joseph, he is the Son of Joseph by law. As such, Jesus has a legal right to be called a descendant of King David.
The espousals between Joseph and Mary are an episode of great importance. Joseph was of the royal line of David and, in virtue of his marriage to Mary, would confer on the Son of the Virgin -on God’s son- the legal title of “Son of David”, fulfilling the prophecies. Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Joseph was king of the Holy Family. He was not the king of Nazareth, Israel, or anything like that. Since every man is the king of his home, St. Joseph was the king of his house. In the home of Nazareth, St. Joseph was king, Mary was queen, and Jesus was the prince awaiting the kingdom prepared for him by his Heavenly Father.
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, of course, but God’s providential love desires that we acknowledge the kingship of St. Joseph in the Holy Family. Jesus himself gave us an example of the filial love and reverence we owe to St. Joseph, our spiritual father.
Saint Joseph is a noble lord. Many saints often lovingly referred to St. Joseph as their “lord”. Saint Teresa of Avila was particularly fond of referring to St. Joseph as her lord. In using this term, no saint intends to claim that St. Joseph is God. St. Joseph is not God.
Saints sometimes use the term “Lord” when addressing St. Joseph out of respect, as is done when addressing dignitaries and rulers. Saints are pious and love to express their filial relationship to Mary and St. Joseph in devotional language. Mary, for example, is called Madonna (“Madonna” derives from the Latin mea domina, that is, “My Lady”, and is the feminine form of “Lord”).
Since God has wanted to obey you (St. Joseph), allow me to be in your service, to honor you and love you as my Lord and Master. St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori
The whole Church recognizes St. Joseph as a patron and guardian. For centuries many different features of his life have caught the attention of believers. That is why, for many years now, I have liked to address him affectionately as “our father and lord”. St. Josemaría Escrivá
Referring to St. Joseph as “lord” has biblical foundations as well. Remember Joseph in the Old Testament, the one sold into slavery by his brothers? Well, Joseph’s brothers end up calling him their “lord” (see Gen 44) when they encounter him again and he saves their family from famine. For us, St. Joseph is more than a brother; he is our noble spiritual father. He is our loving spiritual father and lord.
Noble St. Joseph, I rejoice that God found you worthy of holding this eminent position whereby, established as the father of Jesus, you saw the one whose orders heaven and earth obey subjecting himself to your authority. St. Alphonsus Mary Liguori