Jesus whipped people who were making money off the temple, so he certainly wasn't a pacifist. This may have happened twice.

He may have known enough not to pick a fight that would be lost, anyway.

Bart Ehrman argues that Jesus' actual goal was to lead a rebellion that would kick the Romans out of Judea and set himself up as king. That wouldn't have been too unusual for the apocalyptic preachers of the time.