John Calvin's Unmarked Grave

The Protestant Reformer's dying request was unexpected, given his prolific contribution. He did not want a legacy with his name on it. Instead, he wanted help being forgotten.

John Calvin, one of history's most prolific and influential theologians, left behind a legacy that offers profound lessons about life, death, and legacy.

Near the end of his life, Calvin asked that his grave be left unmarked and unknown. This speaks volumes about the more sanctified aspects of Calvin’s character, despite his many flaws.

Calvin was far from perfect. He had workaholic tendencies and was not the world's greatest husband or father. His punishments for those convicted of heresy were exceedingly harsh, and in the west today would be considered criminal.

We are all a complex mixture of virtue and vice. King David committed adultery and murder, had countless wives and concubines, and gave a retaliatory execution order from his deathbed. Peter denied Christ multiple times and as an Apostle had xenophobic tendencies. Luther cussed like a sailor. Jonathan Edwards owned slaves. King was unfaithful to his wife as he traveled America preaching about justice. Calvin was, likewise, had some serious duplicity which, like these others, bears witness to Scriptures declaration that the grace of Christ’s Gospel is a scandal and stumbling block to many.

That’s some of the concerning stuff.

But Calvin’s request for postmortem anonymity reveals a depth of humility that we do well not to ignore or write off. C.S. Lewis once observed, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." Calvin's dying wish reflects an even deeper kind of humility: helping the world think less of him so that all may gaze upon Jesus all the more.

Rather than seeking recognition, chasing legacy, or building monuments to his own name, Calvin wanted the focus to be on God, to whom his best and most voluminous work pointed. This mirrors the sentiment of John the Baptist, who declared, "[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

Jesus' cousin and Calvin both exemplified a spirit of self-effacement, understanding that lasting impact comes not from self-promotion but from making much of God.

In contrast, earthbound rulers like the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar represent the antithesis of this humble, God-centered approach. Nebuchadnezzar was infamous for his grand, self-aggrandizing building projects, most notably the Hanging Gardens, constructed to fortify his own ego and legacy.

Meanwhile, those who point away from themselves and toward God's glory, like Calvin, John the baptizer, and the Apostle Paul, are the ones who are forever remembered and revered. As the prophet Daniel proclaimed: "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing" before the majesty of God (Daniel 4:35).

This upside-down kingdom principle is embodied most powerfully in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Nebuchadnezzar built elaborate gardens in his own honor, we find Jesus in a different garden—the Garden of Gethsemane—humbly bowing before his Father and surrendering to the cross.

As Spurgeon observed, "He stoops to conquer." Jesus conquered sin and death not through self-exaltation, but through self-humiliation.

Isaiah's prophecy paints a striking contrast: the Messiah will be "high and lifted up and exalted," but this will not look like Nebuchadnezzar's vainglorious building projects. Instead, the King of kings will be "so disfigured" that he appears "marred beyond human semblance" (Isaiah 52:13-14). The creator of the universe will willingly submit to dehumanization and death on a splintered Roman cross.

In this act of supreme self-sacrifice, Jesus demonstrates that true greatness is found not in climbing the ladder of status and power, but in humble, costly service.

As Ann Voskamp writes, "True greatness, true leadership, is not found in wealth or status or power. It's found in service to others."

Thomas Merton agrees: "People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."

Jesus does not (yet) demand that the world bow down to him, but rather bows down himself to wash the world’s feet and bear the many sins of its inhabitants. The staggering irony is that through self-effacement, Christ is ultimately "exalted" and glorified, his name transcending all others (Philippians 2:5-11).

The paths before us, then, are clear: we can go the way of Nebuchadnezzar, building monuments to our own honor and legacy. Or we can follow the path of Calvin, John the Baptist, and supremely, Jesus—a path of decreasing so that God may increase, of humbling ourselves so that God's glory may shine. As the Reformers famously declared, "Soli Deo Gloria"—to God alone be the glory.

This is no easy road. Our natural impulse is toward self-aggrandizement, to demand recognition and status and push ourselves forward. We are Darwinian at our core, desiring dominance over service and vain glory over humility.

Meanwhile, Scripture reminds us that "all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing" before the majesty of the Almighty (Daniel 4:35).

Every ounce of human greatness is a gift, a "ray of light from the sun that is on loan," as Ann Voskamp writes. The wise response is to angle ourselves in such a way that this light bounces back to its divine Source, rather than being deflected toward our own honor.

If a solar eclipse and the northern lights command our attention, how much more the One who created the very same lights and puts them on display?

In the end, the lives that leave the deepest and most enduring impact are those that point away from themselves and toward the Maker. Calvin's unmarked grave stands as a powerful picture of this—a life poured out and a name forgotten, so that the name above all names might be exalted.

And the blessed irony? Centuries later, there are many sons by the names "John" and "Calvin," and so few (if any?) by the name "Nebuchadnezzar."

The name of the man who wanted to become nameless, the pastor-theologian who asked for an unmarked grave, lives on.

May we have the courage and lowliness of heart to follow this same counter-cultural path, embracing the humiliation that leads to true exaltation.

---

Scott’s Top 5 Most Visited Posts:

1. Weeping in Nashville

2. R.C. Sproul: "No, I Won't See Billy Graham in Heaven"

3. An Atheist Gives Sound Advice to Christians

4. Tolkien Felt Like a Failure

5. Do You Seek Great Things for Yourself? Seek Them Not