Physical force does not equate to physical harm, M. Have you ever physically restrained the dog from peeing on the carpet, for example? Or whacked it with a rolled up newspaper to indicate that it has broken the rules? This does not equate to viciously beating your dog with an intent to do harm.

Jesus had an objective in mind: get the moneylenders out of the Temple, and to convince them (and everyone else) that they were doing wrong to be in there. This required some strong actions. He probably shouted at them, knocked over some of the tables, and swung the whip threateningly at them. He may even have whacked someone with the whip, or just whacked it across the tables. In any event, it proved sufficient to scare them into clearing out, and that was the objective.

I call that sensible action under the circumstances, because it achieves exactly what needs to be achieved and doesn't injure anyone in the process.