diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/catalog/MessageFunction.java b/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/catalog/MessageFunction.java
index eb7992f30..6650e07d0 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/catalog/MessageFunction.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/catalog/MessageFunction.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.FluxConsumer;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.FluxFunction;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.FluxToMonoFunction;
+import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.FluxedFunction;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.MonoToFluxFunction;
 import org.springframework.messaging.Message;
 import org.springframework.messaging.MessageHeaders;
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ import org.springframework.messaging.support.MessageBuilder;
  * @since 2.1
  */
 public class MessageFunction
-		implements Function<Publisher<Message<?>>, Publisher<Message<?>>> {
+		implements Function<Publisher<?>, Publisher<Message<?>>> {
 
 	private final Function<?, ?> delegate;
 
@@ -44,11 +45,18 @@ public class MessageFunction
 		this.delegate = delegate;
 	}
 
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "unchecked", "rawtypes" })
 	@Override
-	public Publisher<Message<?>> apply(Publisher<Message<?>> input) {
-		Flux<Message<?>> flux = Flux.from(input);
+	public Publisher<Message<?>> apply(Publisher<?> input) {
+		Flux<Object> incomingFlux = Flux.from(input);
+		Flux<Message<?>> flux = incomingFlux.map(value -> {
+			if (!(value instanceof Message)) {
+				return MessageBuilder.withPayload(value).build();
+			}
+			return (Message<?>) value;
+		});
+
 		if (this.delegate instanceof FluxFunction) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 			Function<Object, Object> target = (Function<Object, Object>) ((FluxFunction<?, ?>) this.delegate)
 					.getTarget();
 			return flux.map(
@@ -56,7 +64,6 @@ public class MessageFunction
 							.copyHeaders(value.getHeaders()).build());
 		}
 		if (this.delegate instanceof MonoToFluxFunction) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 			Function<Mono<Object>, Flux<Object>> target = ((MonoToFluxFunction<Object, Object>) this.delegate)
 					.getTarget();
 			return flux.next()
@@ -65,7 +72,6 @@ public class MessageFunction
 									.copyHeaders(value.getHeaders()).build()));
 		}
 		if (this.delegate instanceof FluxToMonoFunction) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 			Function<Flux<Object>, Mono<Object>> target = ((FluxToMonoFunction<Object, Object>) this.delegate)
 					.getTarget();
 			AtomicReference<MessageHeaders> headers = new AtomicReference<>();
@@ -76,7 +82,6 @@ public class MessageFunction
 					.copyHeaders(headers.get()).build());
 		}
 		if (this.delegate instanceof FluxConsumer) {
-			@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 			FluxConsumer<Object> target = ((FluxConsumer<Object>) this.delegate);
 			AtomicReference<MessageHeaders> headers = new AtomicReference<>();
 			Mono<Void> mapped = target.apply(flux.map(messsage -> {
@@ -85,11 +90,17 @@ public class MessageFunction
 			}));
 			return mapped.map(value -> MessageBuilder.createMessage(null, headers.get()));
 		}
+
 		// TODO: cover the case that delegate is actually Function<Flux,Flux>
-		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-		Function<Object, Object> function = (Function<Object, Object>) this.delegate;
+		if (this.delegate instanceof FluxedFunction) {
+			Function<Flux<Object>, Flux<Object>> target = ((FluxedFunction) this.delegate);
+			return (Flux) flux.map(value -> ((Message) value).getPayload()).transform(target);
+		}
+		Function function = this.delegate;
 		return flux.map(
-				value -> MessageBuilder.withPayload(function.apply(value.getPayload()))
-						.copyHeaders(value.getHeaders()).build());
+				value -> {
+					return MessageBuilder.withPayload(function.apply(value.getPayload()))
+						.copyHeaders(value.getHeaders()).build();
+						});
 	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/config/RoutingFunction.java b/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/config/RoutingFunction.java
index 3bfdc686e..fe1524b32 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/config/RoutingFunction.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-function-context/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/function/context/config/RoutingFunction.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import org.springframework.cloud.function.context.FunctionCatalog;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.context.catalog.FunctionInspector;
 import org.springframework.cloud.function.core.WrappedFunction;
 import org.springframework.messaging.Message;
+import org.springframework.messaging.MessageHeaders;
 import org.springframework.messaging.converter.MessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.messaging.support.MessageBuilder;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
@@ -75,13 +76,21 @@ public class RoutingFunction implements Function<Publisher<Message<?>>, Publishe
 					return flux.map(message -> {
 						Object inputValue = this.convertInput(message, function);
 						return inputValue;
-					}).transform(function);
+					})
+					.log()
+					.doOnError(error -> {
+						throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to convert Message. Possible reason; "
+								+ "No suitable converter was found for payload with 'contentType' "
+								+ signal.get().getHeaders().get(MessageHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE), error);
+					})
+					.transform(function);
 		});
 	}
 
 	@SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
 	private WrappedFunction getRouteToFunction(Message<?> message) {
 		String routeToFunctionName = (String) message.getHeaders().get("function.name");
+		Assert.hasText(routeToFunctionName, "A 'function.name' was not provided as message header.");
 		WrappedFunction function = functionCatalog.lookup(routeToFunctionName);
 		Assert.notNull(function, "Failed to locate function specified with 'function.name':"
 				+ message.getHeaders().get("function.name"));