Really Eugene H. Peterson? Really!?

Most of you know me, and you know that I don't normally get into the "this translation of the Bible is better than that translation" kind of stuff, but yesterday's scripture lesson read from The Message FLOORED me! Now The Message is not exactly my first choice, but whatever. Here's what got me...the sermon was from Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. Here's what it says in the ESV:

16"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

18For John came(A) neither eating(B) nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came(C) eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard,(D) a friend of(E) tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."[a]

25(Q) At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father,(R) Lord of heaven and earth, that(S) you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and(T) revealed them to little children; 26yes, Father, for such was your(U) gracious will.[b] 27(V) All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son(W) except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone(X) to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28(Y) Come to(Z) me, all who labor and are(AA) heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and(AB) learn from me, for I am(AC) gentle and lowly in heart, and(AD) you will find rest for your souls. 30For(AE) my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

BUT in The Message, this is the paraphrase:

16-19"How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, 'We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.' John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riffraff. Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

25-26Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

27Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

WHAT!?
I don't recall reading ANYTHING in the first version about skipping rope, opinion polls, or eating pudding in 16-19 and he actually thinks "yes Father, that is the way you like to work" is a sufficient substitute for 26"such was your gracious will"...and as far as 25-30...
"I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you"!? That's how he translates 30"My yoke is easy and my burden is light"!? In my opinion the first statement is a lie! As Christians we go through all kinds of things that are 'heavy or ill-fitting', but our hope lies in the fact that we have freedom in Christ. He never says, 'oh follow me and everything will be great and nothing unpleasant will happen'.
In some parts of The Message paraphrase, it's not 100% completely terrible, but I really feel like this one missed the point entirely! I mean most of us have heard "my yoke is easy, my burden is light" before...at least I know I have countless times, but when it was read from The Message, I had NO idea that's what it was talking about. I picked up the NIV translation and read it for myself because I had no clue what was going on.


Seriously, what!?
I could go on, but you get the point.